476 research outputs found
Uniform non-stoichiometric titanium nitride thin films for improved kinetic inductance detector array
We describe the fabrication of homogeneous sub-stoichiometric titanium
nitride films for microwave kinetic inductance detector (mKID) arrays. Using a
6 inch sputtering target and a homogeneous nitrogen inlet, the variation of the
critical temperature over a 2 inch wafer was reduced to <25 %. Measurements of
a 132-pixel mKID array from these films reveal a sensitivity of 16 kHz/pW in
the 100 GHz band, comparable to the best aluminium mKIDs. We measured a noise
equivalent power of NEP = 3.6e-15 W/Hz^(1/2). Finally, we describe possible
routes to further improve the performance of these TiN mKID arrays.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures, submitted to Journal of low temperature physics,
Proceedings of LTD-1
Lumped element kinetic inductance detectors maturity for space-borne instruments in the range between 80 and 180 GHz
This work intends to give the state-of-the-art of our knowledge of the
performance of LEKIDs at millimetre wavelengths (from 80 to 180~GHz). We
evaluate their optical sensitivity under typical background conditions and
their interaction with ionising particles. Two LEKID arrays, originally
designed for ground-based applications and composed of a few hundred pixels
each, operate at a central frequency of 100, and 150~GHz (
about 0.3). Their sensitivities have been characterised in the laboratory using
a dedicated closed-circle 100~mK dilution cryostat and a sky simulator,
allowing for the reproduction of realistic, space-like observation conditions.
The impact of cosmic rays has been evaluated by exposing the LEKID arrays to
alpha particles (Am) and X sources (Cd) with a readout sampling
frequency similar to the ones used for Planck HFI (about 200~Hz), and also with
a high resolution sampling level (up to 2~MHz) in order to better characterise
and interpret the observed glitches. In parallel, we have developed an
analytical model to rescale the results to what would be observed by such a
LEKID array at the second Lagrangian point.Comment: 7 pages, 2 tables, 13 figure
Niobium Silicon alloys for Kinetic Inductance Detectors
We are studying the properties of Niobium Silicon amorphous alloys as a
candidate material for the fabrication of highly sensitive Kinetic Inductance
Detectors (KID), optimized for very low optical loads. As in the case of other
composite materials, the NbSi properties can be changed by varying the relative
amounts of its components. Using a NbSi film with T_c around 1 K we have been
able to obtain the first NbSi resonators, observe an optical response and
acquire a spectrum in the band 50 to 300 GHz. The data taken show that this
material has very high kinetic inductance and normal state surface resistivity.
These properties are ideal for the development of KID. More measurements are
planned to further characterize the NbSi alloy and fully investigate its
potential.Comment: Accepted for publication on Journal of Low Temperature Physics.
Proceedings of the LTD15 conference (Caltech 2013
NIKEL_AMC: Readout electronics for the NIKA2 experiment
The New Iram Kid Arrays-2 (NIKA2) instrument has recently been installed at
the IRAM 30 m telescope. NIKA2 is a state-of-art instrument dedicated to
mm-wave astronomy using microwave kinetic inductance detectors (KID) as
sensors. The three arrays installed in the camera, two at 1.25 mm and one at
2.05 mm, feature a total of 3300 KIDs. To instrument these large array of
detectors, a specifically designed electronics, composed of 20 readout boards
and hosted in three microTCA crates, has been developed. The implemented
solution and the achieved performances are presented in this paper. We find
that multiplexing factors of up to 400 detectors per board can be achieved with
homogeneous performance across boards in real observing conditions, and a
factor of more than 3 decrease in volume with respect to previous generations.Comment: 21 pages; 16 figure
Bi-layer Kinetic Inductance Detectors for space observations between 80-120 GHz
We have developed Lumped Element Kinetic Inductance Detectors (LEKID)
sensitive in the frequency band from 80 to 120~GHz. In this work, we take
advantage of the so-called proximity effect to reduce the superconducting gap
of Aluminium, otherwise strongly suppressing the LEKID response for frequencies
smaller than 100~GHz. We have designed, produced and optically tested various
fully multiplexed arrays based on multi-layers combinations of Aluminium (Al)
and Titanium (Ti). Their sensitivities have been measured using a dedicated
closed-circle 100 mK dilution cryostat and a sky simulator allowing to
reproduce realistic observation conditions. The spectral response has been
characterised with a Martin-Puplett interferometer up to THz frequencies, and
with a resolution of 3~GHz. We demonstrate that Ti-Al LEKID can reach an
optical sensitivity of about ~ (best pixel), or
~ when averaged over the whole array. The optical
background was set to roughly 0.4~pW per pixel, typical for future space
observatories in this particular band. The performance is close to a
sensitivity of twice the CMB photon noise limit at 100~GHz which drove the
design of the Planck HFI instrument. This figure remains the baseline for the
next generation of millimetre-wave space satellites.Comment: 7 pages, 9 figures, submitted to A&
Single passage in mouse organs enhances the survival and spread of Salmonella enterica.
Intravenous inoculation of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium into mice is a prime experimental model of invasive salmonellosis. The use of wild-type isogenic tagged strains (WITS) in this system has revealed that bacteria undergo independent bottlenecks in the liver and spleen before establishing a systemic infection. We recently showed that those bacteria that survived the bottleneck exhibited enhanced growth when transferred to naive mice. In this study, we set out to disentangle the components of this in vivo adaptation by inoculating mice with WITS grown either in vitro or in vivo. We developed an original method to estimate the replication and killing rates of bacteria from experimental data, which involved solving the probability-generating function of a non-homogeneous birth-death-immigration process. This revealed a low initial mortality in bacteria obtained from a donor animal. Next, an analysis of WITS distributions in the livers and spleens of recipient animals indicated that in vivo-passaged bacteria started spreading between organs earlier than in vitro-grown bacteria. These results further our understanding of the influence of passage in a host on the fitness and virulence of Salmonella enterica and represent an advance in the power of investigation on the patterns and mechanisms of host-pathogen interactions.This work was funded by a Medical Research Council (MRC) grant (G0801161) awarded to AJG, PM and DJM. RD was supported by BBSRC grant BB/I002189/1 awarded to PM. OR is supported by a University Research Fellowship from the Royal Society.This is the final version of the article. It was first available from Royal Society Publishing via http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsif.2015.070
LEKID sensitivity for space applications between 80 and 600 GHz
We report the design, fabrication and testing of Lumped Element Kinetic
Inductance Detectors (LEKID) showing performance in line with the requirements
of the next generation space telescopes operating in the spectral range from 80
to 600 GHz. This range is of particular interest for Cosmic Microwave
Background (CMB) studies. For this purpose we have designed and fabricated
100-pixel arrays covering five distinct bands. These wafers have been measured
via multiplexing, where a full array is read out using a single pair of lines.
We adopted a custom cold black-body installed in front of the detectors and
regulated at temperatures between 1 K and 20 K. We will describe in the present
paper the main design considerations, the fabrication processes, the testing
and the data analysis
Subgap Kinetic Inductance Detector Sensitive to 85-GHz Radiation
We have fabricated an array of subgap kinetic inductance detectors (SKIDs) made of granular aluminum (T∼2 K) sensitive in the 80–90 GHz frequency band and operating at 300 mK. We measure a noise equivalent power of 1.3×10-16W/Hz0.5 on average and 2.6×10W/Hz at best, for an illuminating power of 50 fW per pixel. Even though the circuit design of SKIDs is identical to that of the kinetic inductance detectors, the SKIDs operating principle is based on their sensitivity to subgap excitations. This detection scheme is advantageous because it avoids having to lower the operating temperature proportionally to the lowest detectable frequency. The SKIDs presented here are intrinsically selecting the 80–90 GHz frequency band, well below the superconducting spectral gap of the film, at approximately 180 GHz
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