Sam Khamis with John Ruhl
Design, Fabrication and Testing of a Superconducting Transition Edge Bolometer
Bolometers provide the most accurate measurements of electro-magnetic radiation in the range from 200µm to 3mm. This range is of particular interest to the study of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB). Superconducting Bolometers provide an enticing possibility as a replacement for the current semi-conducting bolometers as they bring a decreased response time (lower time constant). Superconducting Bolometers are also sought after because of the ease of creating large arrays of them. Since they are read out through SQUIDS (superconducting Quantum Interference Devices) they can be easily multiplexed in large arrays.
We will attempt to design, fabricate and test a superconducting thin film, with a Tc of approximately 4K. This will lead to the design of a Superconducting Bolometer of the same material. We will employ the techniques of thin film deposition and optical lithography. These techniques also lend themselves fairly easily to the production of large arrays of bolometers.