Status of SuperSpec: A Broadband, On-Chip Millimeter-Wave Spectrometer

Abstract

SuperSpec is a novel on-chip spectrometer we are developing for multi-object, moderate resolution (R = 100 - 500), large bandwidth (~1.65:1) submillimeter and millimeter survey spectroscopy of high-redshift galaxies. The spectrometer employs a filter bank architecture, and consists of a series of half-wave resonators formed by lithographically-patterned superconducting transmission lines. The signal power admitted by each resonator is detected by a lumped element titanium nitride (TiN) kinetic inductance detector (KID) operating at 100-200 MHz. We have tested a new prototype device that is more sensitive than previous devices, and easier to fabricate. We present a characterization of a representative R=282 channel at f = 236 GHz, including measurements of the spectrometer detection efficiency, the detector responsivity over a large range of optical loading, and the full system optical efficiency. We outline future improvements to the current system that we expect will enable construction of a photon-noise-limited R=100 filter bank, appropriate for a line intensity mapping experiment targeting the [CII] 158 micron transition during the Epoch of Reionization

arXiv comment16 pages, 10 figures, Proceedings of the SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation 2014 Conference, Vol 9153, Millimeter, Submillimeter, and Far-Infrared Detectors and Instrumentation for Astronomy VII

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Cited by in corpus (9)

• Review: Far-Infrared Instrumentation and Technology Development for the Next Decade
• A Self-consistent Framework for Multiline Modeling in Line Intensity Mapping Experiments
• Full-Array Noise Performance of Deployment-Grade SuperSpec mm-wave On-Chip Spectrometers
• WSPEC: A waveguide filter-bank focal plane array spectrometer for millimeter wave astronomy and cosmology
• A Compact Filter-Bank Waveguide Spectrometer for Millimeter Wavelengths
• Superconducting On-chip Fourier Transform Spectrometer
• The Simulation and Design of an On-Chip Superconducting Millimetre Filter-Bank Spectrometer
• Directional Filter Design and Simulation for Superconducting On-chip Filter-banks
• Simulating Cosmic Microwave Background anisotropy measurements for Microwave Kinetic Inductance Devices