Search results for "Transition Edge Sensor"
showing 10 items of 13 documents
Xrase: The X-Ray Spectroscopic Explorer
2001
The X-Ray Spectroscopic Explorer (XRASE) has a unique combination of features that will make it possible to address many of NASA’s scientific goals. These include how galaxy clusters form, the physics and chemistry of the ISM, the heating of stellar coronae, the amount and content of intergalactic baryonic matter, the mass of black holes and the formation of disks and jets in AGN and galactic binaries. XRASE has a thin foil, multilayered telescope with a large collecting area up to 10 keV, especially in the Fe Kα region (1100 cm2). Its microcalorimeter array combines high energy resolution (7 eV at 6 keV) and efficiency with a field-of-view of 26 arcmin2. A deep orbit allows for long, conti…
Minimum detection limits and applications of proton and helium induced X-ray emission using transition-edge sensor array
2017
Abstract We have determined minimum detection limits, MDLs, for elements 14 ⩽ Z ⩽ 86 using a transition-edge sensor array, TES array, and as a comparison using an Amptek X-123SDD silicon drift detector, SDD. This was done using a 3 MeV proton beam and a 5.1 MeV helium beam. MDLs were determined for a thin film sample on top of C substrate, and for a bulk sample containing mostly Al. Due to the higher peak-to-background ratio, lower detection limits were obtainable using the TES array for most of the elements. However, for elements 30 ⩽ Z ⩽ 45 the performance of the TES array was not as good as the SDD performance. This is due to the limitations of the TES used at energies >10 keV. The great…
Operation of transition-edge sensors with excess thermal noise
2006
The superconducting transition-edge sensor (TES) is currently one of the most attractive choices for ultra-high resolution calorimetry in the keV x-ray band, and is being considered for future ESA and NASA missions. We have performed a study on the noise characteristics of Au/Ti bilayer TESs, at operating temperatures around ~100 mK, with the SQUID readout at 1.5 K. Experimental results indicate that without modifications the back-action noise from the SQUID chip degrades the noise characteristics significantly. We present a simple and effective solution to the problem: by installing an extra shunt resistor which absorbs the excess radiation from the SQUID input, we have reduced the excess …
The x-ray microcalorimeter spectrometer onboard Athena
2012
Trabajo presentado a la conferencia: "Space Telescopes and Instrumentation: Ultraviolet to Gamma Ray" celebrada en Amsterdam (Holanda) el 1 de julio de 2012.-- et al.
ATHENA X-IFU thermal filters development status toward the end of the instrument phase-A
2018
Copyright 2018 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE). One print or electronic copy may be made for personal use only. Systematic reproduction and distribution, duplication of any material in this paper for a fee or for commercial purposes, or modification of the content of the paper are prohibited. The X-ray Integral Field Unit (X-IFU) is one of the two instruments of the Athena astrophysics space mission approved by ESA in the Cosmic Vision 2015-2025 Science Programme. The X-IFU consists of a large array of transition edge sensor micro-calorimeters that will operate at 100 mK inside a sophisticated cryostat. A set of thin filters, highly transparent to X-rays, will be m…
Optimizing the operating temperature of a transition edge sensor
2006
We discuss the theory for optimizing the operating temperature of a voltage biased superconducting transition edge sensor (TES) in terms of energy resolution and speed, considering only internal detector noise sources. The noise processes included in the modeling are the unavoidable Johnson and phonon noise. The phonon noise is calculated for the case of ballistic transport. If other external and excess internal noise sources are not dominant, an optimal operating temperature can be found to minimize the energy resolution. The detector slows down by approximately a factor of two at the optimal energy resolution point.
Fluctuation-Limited Noise in a Superconducting Transition-Edge Sensor
2003
In order to investigate the origin of the until now unaccounted excess noise and to minimize the uncontrollable phenomena at the transition in x-ray microcalorimeters we have developed superconducting transition-edge sensors into an edgeless geometry, the so-called Corbino disk, with superconducting contacts in the center and at the outer perimeter. The measured rms current noise and its spectral density can be modeled as resistance noise resulting from fluctuations near the equilibrium superconductor-normal metal boundary. Peer reviewed
The Cryogenic AntiCoincidence detector for ATHENA: the progress towards the final pixel design
2014
“The Hot and Energetic Universe” is the scientific theme approved by the ESA SPC for a Large mission to be flown in the next ESA slot (2028th) timeframe. ATHENA is a space mission proposal tailored on this scientific theme. It will be the first X-ray mission able to perform the so-called “Integral field spectroscopy”, by coupling a high-resolution spectrometer, the X-ray Integral Field Unit (X-IFU), to a high performance optics so providing detailed images of its field of view (5’ in diameter) with an angular resolution of 5” and fine energy-spectra (2.5eV@E<7keV). The X-IFU is a kilo-pixel array based on TES (Transition Edge Sensor) microcalorimeters providing high resolution spectroscopy …
Large 256-Pixel X-ray Transition-Edge Sensor Arrays With Mo/TiW/Cu Trilayers
2015
We describe the fabrication and electrical characterization of 256-pixel X-ray transition-edge sensor (TES) arrays intended for materials analysis applications. The processing is done on 6-in wafers, providing capabilities on a commercial scale. TES films were novel proximity coupled Mo/TiW/Cu trilayers, where the thin TiW layer in between aims to improve the stability of the devices by preventing unwanted effects such as Mo/Cu interdiffusion. The absorber elements were electrodeposited gold of thickness 2 μm. The single-pixel design discussed here is the so-called Corbino geometry. Most design goals were successfully met, such as the critical temperature, thermal time constant, and transit…
Baseline design of the thermal blocking filters for the X-IFU detector on board ATHENA
2014
ATHENA is an advanced X-ray observatory designed by a large European consortium to address the science theme "Hot and Energetic Universe" recently selected by ESA for L2 – the second Large-class mission within the Cosmic Vision science program (launch scheduled in 2028). One of the key instruments of the mission is the X-ray Integral Field Unit (X-IFU), an array of Transition Edge Sensor (TES) micro-calorimeters with high energy resolution (2.5 eV @ 6 keV) in the energy range 0.2÷12 keV, operating at the focal plane of a large effective area high angular resolution (5" HEW) grazing incidence X-ray telescope. The X-IFU operates at temperatures below 100 mK and thus requires a sophisticated c…