Role of engineered materials in superconducting tunnel-junction x-ray detectors: suppression of quasi-particle recombination losses via a phononic bandgap

Edward D. Rippert; John B. Ketterson; Jun Chen; Shenian N. Song; Susanne Lomatch; Stevan R. Maglic; Christopher D. Thomas; M. Andrew Cheida; Melville P. Ulmer

doi:10.1117/12.130663

8 October 1992 Role of engineered materials in superconducting tunnel-junction x-ray detectors: suppression of quasi-particle recombination losses via a phononic bandgap

Edward D. Rippert, John B. Ketterson, Jun Chen, Shenian N. Song, Susanne Lomatch, Stevan R. Maglic, Christopher D. Thomas, M. Andrew Cheida, Melville P. Ulmer

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 1743, EUV, X-Ray, and Gamma-Ray Instrumentation for Astronomy III; (1992) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.130663
Event: San Diego '92, 1992, San Diego, CA, United States

Abstract

While much progress has been made towards improved energy reso1utvn in superconducting tunnel junction (STJ) detectors recently, results are still more than an order of magnitude worse than the theoretical limit. Several factors have been identified as contributing to degradation of energy resolution in STJ devices: recombination losses, parasitic quasiparticle trapping and quasiparticle diffusion into current leads. In addition, STJ detectors tend to have poor photon capture efficiency. Semiconducting detectors achieve their near theoretical energy resolutions and high efficiencies via doping and/or applying an external field to a pure substance. These methods are ineffective for STJ detectors, therefore such alternatives as engineered materials, consisting of multiple materials artificially patterned on the microscopic level, should be considered. The most common engineered structures in use are quasiparticle trapping configurations, which alleviate lead diffusion and detection efficiency problems. We have previously proposed a multilayered approach which addresses parasitic trapping, along with diffusion and efficiency. We now propose the possibility of an engineered structure which will alleviate quasiparticle recombination losses via the existence of a phononic band gap that overlaps the 2i energy of phonons produced during recombination of quasiparticles. We will present a 1D Kronig-Penny model for phonons normally incident to the layers of a multilayered superconducting tunnel junction as an idealized example

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Edward D. Rippert, John B. Ketterson, Jun Chen, Shenian N. Song, Susanne Lomatch, Stevan R. Maglic, Christopher D. Thomas, M. Andrew Cheida, and Melville P. Ulmer "Role of engineered materials in superconducting tunnel-junction x-ray detectors: suppression of quasi-particle recombination losses via a phononic bandgap", Proc. SPIE 1743, EUV, X-Ray, and Gamma-Ray Instrumentation for Astronomy III, (8 October 1992); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.130663

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