Eliminating the non-Gaussian spectral response of X-ray absorbers for transition-edge sensors
- Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Northwestern Univ., Evanston, IL (United States)
- Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
- National Inst. of Standards and Technology (NIST), Boulder, CO (United States)
- National Inst. of Standards and Technology (NIST), Boulder, CO (United States); Univ. of Colorado, Boulder, CO (United States)
Transition-edge sensors (TESs) as microcalorimeters for high-energy-resolution X-ray spectroscopy are often fabricated with an absorber made of materials with high Z (for X-ray stopping power) and low heat capacity (for high resolving power). Bismuth represents one of the most compelling options. TESs with evaporated bismuth absorbers have shown spectra with undesirable and unexplained low-energy tails. We have developed TESs with electroplated bismuth absorbers over a gold layer that are not afflicted by this problem and that retain the other positive aspects of this material. To better understand these phenomena, we have studied a series of TESs with gold, gold/evaporated bismuth, and gold/electroplated bismuth absorbers, fabricated on the same die with identical thermal coupling. Lastly, we show that the bismuth morphology is linked to the spectral response of X-ray TES microcalorimeters.
- Research Organization:
- Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES). Scientific User Facilities Division
- Grant/Contract Number:
- AC02-06CH11357
- OSTI ID:
- 1412693
- Alternate ID(s):
- OSTI ID: 1408056
- Journal Information:
- Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 111, Issue 19; ISSN 0003-6951
- Publisher:
- American Institute of Physics (AIP)Copyright Statement
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Web of Science
Similar Records
Microstructure Analysis of Bismuth Absorbers for Transition-Edge Sensor X-ray Microcalorimeters
Close-packed arrays of transition-edge x-ray microcalorimeters with high spectral resolution at 5.9 keV