Abstract
We are developing lumped-element kinetic inductance detectors (LEKIDs) designed to achieve background-limited sensitivity for far-infrared (FIR) spectroscopy on a stratospheric balloon. The spectroscopic terahertz airborne receiver for far-infrared exploration will study the evolution of dusty galaxies with observations of the [CII] \(158\,\upmu \mathrm{m}\) and other atomic fine-structure transitions at \(z=0.5\)–1.5, both through direct observations of individual luminous infrared galaxies, and in blind surveys using the technique of line intensity mapping. The spectrometer will require large format (\(\sim \) 1800 detectors) arrays of dual-polarization sensitive detectors with NEPs of \(1 \times 10^{-17}\) W Hz\(^{-1/2}\). The low-volume LEKIDs are fabricated with a single layer of aluminum (20-nm-thick) deposited on a crystalline silicon wafer, with resonance frequencies of 100–250 MHz. The inductor is a single meander with a linewidth of \(0.4\,\upmu \mathrm{m}\), patterned in a grid to absorb optical power in both polarizations. The meander is coupled to a circular waveguide, fed by a conical feedhorn. Initial testing of a small array prototype has demonstrated good yield and a median NEP of \(4 \times 10^{-18}\) W Hz\(^{-1/2}\).
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Acknowledgements
ACMB’s work was supported by a NASA Space Technology Research Fellowship. Detector development for starfire is supported by NASA Grant 15-APRA15-0081. We thank C. Groppi for generously providing the tool used to drill the feedhorns.
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Hailey-Dunsheath, S., Barlis, A.C.M., Aguirre, J.E. et al. Development of Aluminum LEKIDs for Balloon-Borne Far-IR Spectroscopy. J Low Temp Phys 193, 968–975 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10909-018-1927-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10909-018-1927-y