Ultralow-background large-format bolometer arrays

Dominic J. Benford; James A. Chervenak; Kent D. Irwin; Harvey S. Moseley

doi:10.1117/12.461576

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5 March 2003 Ultralow-Background Large-Format Bolometer Arrays

Dominic J. Benford, James A. Chervenak, Kent D. Irwin, Harvey S. Moseley

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Proceedings Volume 4850, IR Space Telescopes and Instruments; (2003) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.461576
Event: Astronomical Telescopes and Instrumentation, 2002, Waikoloa, Hawai'i, United States

Abstract

In the coming decade, work will commence in earnest on large cryogenic far-infrared telescopes and interferometers. All such observatories - for example, SAFIR, SPIRIT, and SPECS - require large format, two dimensional arrays of close-packed detectors capable of reaching the fundamental limits imposed by the very low photon backgrounds present in deep space. In the near term, bolometer array architectures which permit 1000 pixels - perhaps sufficient for the next generation of space-based instruments - can be arrayed efficiently. Demonstrating the necessary performance, with Noise Equivalent Powers (NEPs) of less than 10^-20 W/√Hz, will be a hurdle in the coming years. Superconducting bolometer arrays are a promising technology for providing both the performance and the array size necessary. We discuss the requirements for future detector arrays in the far-infrared and submillimeter, describe the parameters of superconducting bolometer arrays able to meet these requirements, and detail the present and near future technology of superconducting bolometer arrays. Of particular note is the coming development of large format planar arrays with absorber-coupled and antenna-coupled bolometers.

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Dominic J. Benford, James A. Chervenak, Kent D. Irwin, and Harvey S. Moseley "Ultralow-Background Large-Format Bolometer Arrays", Proc. SPIE 4850, IR Space Telescopes and Instruments, (5 March 2003); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.461576

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