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At least 163 records · Page 9
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Microcalorimeter Absorber Optimization for 0.2 to 12 keV X-Rays

The Advanced Telescope for High ENergy Astrophysics (ATHENA) mission requires high quantum efficiency (QE) x-ray absorption, >90.6% at 7 keV and low specific heat capacity, 0.731 pJ/K. The designed ATHENA x-ray absorbers are cantilevered square tiles (pitch of 317 microns) of 1.05 μm thick Au and 5.51 μm thick Bi electroplated films supported by stems that connect the absorber to the detector below. We discuss some of the methods used to produce x-ray absorbers meeting these specifications for ATHENA. To tune the thermal conductance of the device and the effect on the normal-to superconducting transition shape, the stems need to be small diameter and can have a weak bottle-neck connection to the substrate. A funnel shape of the stem using a proximity exposed photoresist mold has been developed to improve the strength of the connections. Further requirements on the absorbers include low levels of fine particulate remaining on the substrate after production and zero shorts between absorbers due to incomplete ion milling or trapped fine particular between absorbers. To optimize for post patterning substrate cleanliness and absorber yield, we have examined several methods of absorber fabrication. Three such methods are 1) an ion mill/wet etch combination, 2) a photoresist mold for electroplating followed by wet or dry etch to remove the seed layer, and 3) an electroplating process with leveling to smooth the surface followed by ion mill to separate the absorbers. The different combinations of wet and dry etches lead to different yields and surface appearance of the absorber sidewalls. We present results on the achieved pixel yields and the energy resolution of pixels made with the various fabrication methods. We discuss the impact of absorber patterning method on performance, uniformity, and yield.

Edward J Wassell↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

X-Ray Missions Based on LTD Technologies

Microcalorimeter arrays used as imaging spectrometers will enable ground-breaking science in X-ray astrophysics. Their development has been one of the driving applications of the low temperature detector community since the early 1980s. While their application in space remains in relative infancy, we are on the verge of an era in which microcalorimeter spectrometers are likely to dominate instrumentation for high-energy astrophysics missions. NASA sounding rocket experiments such as the X-ray Quantum Calorimeter (XQC) and Micro-X have now paved the way for orbital observatories. JAXA’s Astro-H gave us a glimpse of this fantastic new capability before its unfortunate demise. The launch of XRISM later this year should finally demonstrate the sort of large suite of observations that X-ray microcalorimeter arrays will make major contributions to. In the mid-2030s, we will see the launch of ESA’s flagship Athena mission, that will further advance the imaging and spectroscopic capabilities for the high-energy X-ray community enormously. Numerous other potential new mission concepts using X-ray microcalorimeters have been studied in detail such as NASA’s Lynx and the Light Element Mapper (LEM), JAXA’s Super-DIOS, and China’s Hot Universe Baryon Surveyor (HUBS). In the first half of this presentation, I will review the development and desired requirements of the X-ray microcalorimeter missions and concepts, and describe the current progress and status missions being implemented and proposed. In the second half of this presentation, I will focus on The Line Emission Mapper (LEM) which is a probe-class mission concept under study by NASA that is designed to provide unprecedented insight into the physics of galaxy formation, including stellar and black-hole feedback and flows of baryonic matter into and out of galaxies. LEM incorporates a light-weight X-ray optic with 10” angular resolution and a large-format microcalorimeter array with a 15” pixel pitch over a 29’ field of view (FOV). The main microcalorimeter array and readout design takes advantage of mature technology that has been developed for Athena X-IFU. The central 7’ region of the array consists of ~ 800 transition-edge sensors (TESs), optimized for a bandpass of 0.3-2 keV and with an energy resolution of 1.2 eV at 1 keV. The rest of the FOV is covered by 4-pixel TES hydras with 2.5 eV energy resolution at 1 keV. Hydras are position-sensitive (‘thermally multiplexed’) detectors that enable extremely large numbers of effective pixels in an array, without a commensurate increase in the number of wires, bias circuit, and readout components. In total the array will have ~ 4k TESs with ~ 14k imaging elements on a 290 micron-pitch. The array will be read out with state-of-the-art time-division multiplexing (TDM), implement with 59 pixels (and 1 dark pixel) in each of the 69 TDM columns. Here we present a detailed overview of the baseline microcalorimeter detector design and present first results from both single pixel TESs and 4-pixel hydras. Our prototype LEM pixels utilize 15um x 50um Mo/Au TESs with a transition temperature of around 58 mK. These pixels incorporate high-fill-factor Au absorbers of thickness 0.54um. We have demonstrated an energy resolution of 0.90+/-0.02 eV and 1.90 +/-0.02 eV at 1.5 keV for single pixel and 4-pixel hydras, respectively, meeting the performance requirements of LEM. We show how the position discrimination in the hydra pixels can be achieved, down to energies of a few 100 eV, using the measured pulse rise-times. Finally, we will show that the properties of the LEM pixels are well optimized for the proposed TDM read out architecture.

Simon Richard Bandler↗
NASA NTRS2014

Optimal Energy Measurement in Nonlinear Systems: An Application of Differential Geometry

Design of TES microcalorimeters requires a tradeoff between resolution and dynamic range. Often, experimenters will require linearity for the highest energy signals, which requires additional heat capacity be added to the detector. This results in a reduction of low energy resolution in the detector. We derive and demonstrate an algorithm that allows operation far into the nonlinear regime with little loss in spectral resolution. We use a least squares optimal filter that varies with photon energy to accommodate the nonlinearity of the detector and the non-stationarity of the noise. The fitting process we use can be seen as an application of differential geometry. This recognition provides a set of well-developed tools to extend our work to more complex situations. The proper calibration of a nonlinear microcalorimeter requires a source with densely spaced narrow lines. A pulsed laser multi-photon source is used here, and is seen to be a powerful tool for allowing us to develop practical systems with significant detector nonlinearity. The combination of our analysis techniques and the multi-photon laser source create a powerful tool for increasing the performance of future TES microcalorimeters.

Nonlinear response↗
DOE OSTI2026

FY26 Mid-Year Report

The goal of this project is to develop specific aspects of ultra-high-resolution microcalorimeter technologies that support IAEA Nuclear Material Laboratory needs and the goals of SP-1 19/NML-003 "Microcalorimetry Analysis Technique for NML" but are outside the scope of the SP-1. The focus is on commissioning, assembly, and testing of the microcalorimeter decay energy spectrometer with superconducting transition-edge sensors (TESs) and magnetic microcalorimeters (MMCs) in preparation for transfer to the IAEA Nuclear Material Laboratory.

98 NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT, SAFEGUARDS, AND PHYSICAL P↗
NASA NTRS1999

The Astro-E High Resolution X-Ray Spectrometer

The Astro-E High Resolution X-ray Spectrometer (XRS) was developed jointly by the NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center and the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science in Japan. The instrument is based on a new approach to spectroscopy, the X-ray microcalorimeter. This device senses the energies of individual X-ray photons as heat with extreme precision. A 32 channel array of microcalorimeters is being employed, each with an energy resolution of about 12 eV at 6 keV (the Fe-K region). This will provide spectral resolving power 10 times higher than any other non-dispersive X-ray spectrometer. The instrument incorporates a three stage cooling system capable of operating the array at 60 mK for about two years in orbit. The array sits at the focus of a grazing incidence conical mirror. The quantum efficiency of the microcalorimeters and the reflectivity of the X-ray mirror system combine to give high throughput over the 0.3-12 keV energy band. This new capability will enable the study of a wide range of high-energy astrophysical sources with unprecedented spectral sensitivity. This paper presents the basic design requirements and implementation of the XRS, and also describes the instrument parameters and performance.

Kelley, Richard L.↗
NASA NTRS2001

Microcalorimetry: The First Two Decades

Our group at GSFC began experimental and theoretical work on microcalorimetry almost twenty years ago, in August of 1982. Over the next 10 months, we completed the initial demonstration of a Si impurity thermometer-based calorimeter as an X-ray spectrometer. This successful demonstration resulted in the development by many investigators of scientific applications for microcalorimeters, ranging from optical spectroscopy to dark matter detection to particle physics applications. Many new technical approaches for cryogenic detectors were proposed by investigators and have been developed. In this presentation, I will describe the early development of microcalorimeters at GSFC and University of Wisconsin and the subsequent rapid growth of this work around the world The key milestones in the early development were the initial spectroscopy demonstrations and the selection of XRS, our microlcalorimeter-based instrument for the Advanced X-ray Astrophysics Facility (AXAF) and ultimately for ASTRO-E. An additional key event was the development of the direct detection of dark matter experiment and the formation of the Center for Particle Astrophysics. Both of these programs provided long term support for this technology in its precarious early days. A major additional technical step in the development of detectors was the demonstration of devices based on superconducting transition edge sensors (TES). These detectors promised (and have delivered) improved energy resolution and higher event rate capabilities. They couple naturally to SQUIDS, which operate well at the low temperatures where the detectors must operate. The past two decades have taken microcalorimeters from their infancy to applications in real experiments. I will provide an overview of the early development of the devices and review the breadth of the present technology and applications.

Moseley, Harvey↗
NASA NTRS2005

Cosmology, Clusters and Calorimeters

I will review the current state of Cosmology with Clusters and discuss the application of microcalorimeter arrays to this field. With the launch of Astro-E2 this summer and a slew of new missions being developed, microcalorimeters are the next big thing in x-ray astronomy. I will cover the basics and not-so-basic concepts of microcalorimeter designs and look at the future to see where this technology will go.

Figueroa-Feliciano, Enectali↗