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Title: 280 GHz Focal Plane Unit Design and Characterization for the Spider-2 Suborbital Polarimeter

Abstract

We describe the construction and characterization of the 280 GHz bolometric focal plane units (FPUs) to be deployed on the second flight of the balloon-borne Spider instrument. These FPUs are vital to Spider’s primary science goal of detecting or placing an upper limit on the amplitude of the primordial gravitational wave signature in the cosmic microwave background (CMB) by constraining the B-mode contamination in the CMB from Galactic dust emission. Each 280 GHz focal plane contains a $$16 \times 16$$ grid of corrugated silicon feedhorns coupled to an array of aluminum–manganese transition-edge sensor (TES) bolometers fabricated on 150 mm diameter substrates. In total, the three 280 GHz FPUs contain 1530 polarization-sensitive bolometers (765 spatial pixels) optimized for the low loading environment in flight and read out by time-division SQUID multiplexing. In this paper, we describe the mechanical, thermal, and magnetic shielding architecture of the focal planes and present cryogenic measurements which characterize yield and the uniformity of several bolometer parameters. The assembled FPUs have high yields, with one array as high as 95% including defects from wiring and readout. We demonstrate high uniformity in device parameters, finding the median saturation power for each TES array to be $$\sim $$ 3 pW at 300 mK withmore » a less than 6% variation across each array at $$1\sigma $$ . These focal planes will be deployed alongside the 95 and 150 GHz telescopes in the Spider-2 instrument, slated to fly from McMurdo Station in Antarctica in December 2018.« less

Authors:
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FNAL), Batavia, IL (United States); SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC), Menlo Park, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), High Energy Physics (HEP)
Contributing Org.:
SPIDER
OSTI Identifier:
1764045
Report Number(s):
FERMILAB-CONF-17-692-AE
oai:inspirehep.net:1705369
DOE Contract Number:  
AC02-07CH11359
Resource Type:
Conference
Journal Name:
J.Low Temp.Phys.
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 193; Journal Issue: 5-6
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Citation Formats

Bergman, A. S., and et al. 280 GHz Focal Plane Unit Design and Characterization for the Spider-2 Suborbital Polarimeter. United States: N. p., 2018. Web. doi:10.1007/s10909-018-2065-2.
Bergman, A. S., & et al. 280 GHz Focal Plane Unit Design and Characterization for the Spider-2 Suborbital Polarimeter. United States. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10909-018-2065-2
Bergman, A. S., and et al. 2018. "280 GHz Focal Plane Unit Design and Characterization for the Spider-2 Suborbital Polarimeter". United States. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10909-018-2065-2. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1764045.
@article{osti_1764045,
title = {280 GHz Focal Plane Unit Design and Characterization for the Spider-2 Suborbital Polarimeter},
author = {Bergman, A. S. and et al.},
abstractNote = {We describe the construction and characterization of the 280 GHz bolometric focal plane units (FPUs) to be deployed on the second flight of the balloon-borne Spider instrument. These FPUs are vital to Spider’s primary science goal of detecting or placing an upper limit on the amplitude of the primordial gravitational wave signature in the cosmic microwave background (CMB) by constraining the B-mode contamination in the CMB from Galactic dust emission. Each 280 GHz focal plane contains a $16 \times 16$ grid of corrugated silicon feedhorns coupled to an array of aluminum–manganese transition-edge sensor (TES) bolometers fabricated on 150 mm diameter substrates. In total, the three 280 GHz FPUs contain 1530 polarization-sensitive bolometers (765 spatial pixels) optimized for the low loading environment in flight and read out by time-division SQUID multiplexing. In this paper, we describe the mechanical, thermal, and magnetic shielding architecture of the focal planes and present cryogenic measurements which characterize yield and the uniformity of several bolometer parameters. The assembled FPUs have high yields, with one array as high as 95% including defects from wiring and readout. We demonstrate high uniformity in device parameters, finding the median saturation power for each TES array to be $\sim $ 3 pW at 300 mK with a less than 6% variation across each array at $1\sigma $ . These focal planes will be deployed alongside the 95 and 150 GHz telescopes in the Spider-2 instrument, slated to fly from McMurdo Station in Antarctica in December 2018.},
doi = {10.1007/s10909-018-2065-2},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1764045}, journal = {J.Low Temp.Phys.},
number = 5-6,
volume = 193,
place = {United States},
year = {Wed Sep 12 00:00:00 EDT 2018},
month = {Wed Sep 12 00:00:00 EDT 2018}
}

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Works referenced in this record:

Superconducting transition edge sensor using dilute AlMn alloys
journal, September 2004


Advanced ACTPol Multichroic Polarimeter Array Fabrication Process for 150 mm Wafers
journal, March 2016


Design of 280 GHz feedhorn-coupled TES arrays for the balloon-borne polarimeter SPIDER
conference, July 2016


Time-division superconducting quantum interference device multiplexer for transition-edge sensors
journal, August 2003


Optical efficiency of feedhorn-coupled TES polarimeters for next-generation CMB instruments
conference, July 2010


Design of 280 GHz feedhorn-coupled TES arrays for the balloon-borne polarimeter SPIDER
conference, July 2016


Design of 280 GHz feedhorn-coupled TES arrays for the balloon-borne polarimeter SPIDER
text, January 2016


SPIDER: probing the early Universe with a suborbital polarimeter
journal, April 2013


Spider Optimization. ii. Optical, Magnetic, and Foreground Effects
journal, August 2011


Time-Division SQUID Multiplexers With Reduced Sensitivity to External Magnetic Fields
journal, June 2011


SPIDER: a balloon-borne large-scale CMB polarimeter
conference, August 2008


Planar Orthomode Transducers for Feedhorn-coupled TES Polarimeters
conference, January 2009

  • McMahon, J.; Appel, J. W.; Austermann, J. E.
  • THE THIRTEENTH INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP ON LOW TEMPERATURE DETECTORS—LTD13, AIP Conference Proceedings
  • https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3292386

Works referencing / citing this record:

SPIDER: CMB polarimetry from the edge of space
text, January 2017


SPIDER: CMB Polarimetry from the Edge of Space
journal, October 2018