Experimental Results and Modeling of Low-Heat-Capacity TES Microcalorimeters for Soft-X-ray Spectroscopy

Journal Article · Wed Dec 16 00:00:00 EST 2009 · AIP Conference Proceedings

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3292370· OSTI ID:21325808

Eckart, Megan E ^[1]; Adams, Joseph S; Smith, Stephen J ^[1]; Bandler, Simon R ^[1]; Brekosky, Regis P; Chervenak, James A; Finkbeiner, Fred M; Kelley, Richard L; Kilbourne, Caroline A; Scott Porter, F; Sadleir, John E ^[1]

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1. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771 (United States)

Transition-edge-sensor (TES) X-ray microcalorimeters have mostly been targeted at mid-band energies from 0.05-10 keV and high energies to above 100 keV. However, many other optimizations are possible. Here we present results from devices optimized for soft X-ray applications. For spectroscopy below 1 keV, the X-ray stopping power and heat capacity (C) of the TES itself are high enough that we can omit a separate absorber. The resulting devices have low C and the best-achievable energy resolution should be under 1 eV. We are interested in pursuing such devices primarily for astrophysical applications and laboratory astrophysics at LLNL's Electron-Beam Ion Trap. To this end, we have studied arrays in which 'bare' TESs are interspersed with broad-band pixels that have absorbers. By extending the absorbers to cover the area where the leads contact the low-energy pixels, we have eliminated a significant source of non-Gaussian detector response. The bare devices are in a different regime from our typical devices in that C is ten times lower and the conductance to the bath is four times lower. We have explored this regime through simultaneous fitting of noise and impedance data. These data cannot be fit by the simple model we employ to describe our typical broad-band devices. In this contribution we present X-ray spectra and the results from modeling.

• OSTI ID: 21325808
• Journal Information: AIP Conference Proceedings, Vol. 1185, Issue 1; Conference: LTD13: 13. international workshop on low temperature detectors, Stanford, CA (United States), 20-24 Jul 2009; Other Information: DOI: 10.1063/1.3292370; (c) 2009 American Institute of Physics; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0094-243X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
BOLOMETERS
CALORIMETERS
CALORIMETRY
ENERGY RESOLUTION
IMPEDANCE
KEV RANGE
NOISE
OPTIMIZATION
RADIATION DETECTORS
SENSORS
SOFT X RADIATION
SPECIFIC HEAT
STOPPING POWER
SUPERCONDUCTING DEVICES
X-RAY DETECTION
X-RAY SPECTRA
X-RAY SPECTROSCOPY