No Arabic abstract
Terahertz spectrometers with a wide instantaneous frequency coverage for passive remote sensing are enormously attractive for many terahertz applications, such as astronomy, atmospheric science and security. Here we demonstrate a wide-band terahertz spectrometer based on a single superconducting chip. The chip consists of an antenna coupled to a transmission line filterbank, with a microwave kinetic inductance detector behind each filter. Using frequency division multiplexing, all detectors are read-out simultaneously creating a wide-band spectrometer with an instantaneous bandwidth of 45 GHz centered around 350 GHz. The spectrometer has a spectral resolution of $F/Delta F=380$ and reaches photon-noise limited sensitivity. We discuss the chip design and fabrication, as well as the system integration and testing. We confirm full system operation by the detection of an emission line spectrum of methanol gas. The proposed concept allows for spectroscopic radiation detection over large bandwidths and resolutions up to $F/Delta Fsim1000$, all using a chip area of a few $mathrm{cm^2}$. This will allow the construction of medium resolution imaging spectrometers with unprecedented speed and sensitivity.
Kinetic inductance in thin film superconductors has been used as the basis for low-temperature, low-noise photon detectors. In particular thin films such as NbTiN, TiN, NbN, the kinetic inductance effect is strongly non-linear in the applied current, which can be utilized to realize novel devices. We present results from transmission lines made with these materials, where DC (current) control is used to modulate the phase velocity thereby enabling an on-chip spectrometer. The utility of such compact spectrometers are discussed, along with their natural connection with parametric amplifiers.
An integrated filterbank (IFB) in combination with microwave kinetic inductance detectors (MKIDs), both based on superconducting resonators, could be used to make broadband submillimeter imaging spectrographs that are compact and flexible. In order to investigate the possibility of adopting an IFB configuration for DESHIMA (Delft SRON High-redshift Mapper), we study the basic properties of a coplanar-waveguide-based IFB using electromagnetic simulation. We show that a coupling efficiency greater than 1/2 can be achieved if transmission losses are negligible. We arrive at a practical design for a 9 pixel x 920 color 3 dimensional imaging device that fits on a 4 inch wafer, which instantaneously covers multiple submillimeter telluric windows with a dispersion of f/df = 1000.
SuperSpec is a novel on-chip spectrometer we are developing for multi-object, moderate resolution (R = 100 - 500), large bandwidth (~1.65:1) submillimeter and millimeter survey spectroscopy of high-redshift galaxies. The spectrometer employs a filter bank architecture, and consists of a series of half-wave resonators formed by lithographically-patterned superconducting transmission lines. The signal power admitted by each resonator is detected by a lumped element titanium nitride (TiN) kinetic inductance detector (KID) operating at 100-200 MHz. We have tested a new prototype device that is more sensitive than previous devices, and easier to fabricate. We present a characterization of a representative R=282 channel at f = 236 GHz, including measurements of the spectrometer detection efficiency, the detector responsivity over a large range of optical loading, and the full system optical efficiency. We outline future improvements to the current system that we expect will enable construction of a photon-noise-limited R=100 filter bank, appropriate for a line intensity mapping experiment targeting the [CII] 158 micron transition during the Epoch of Reionization
Spectroscopy is a powerful tool to probe physical, chemical, and biological systems. Recent advances in microfabrication have introduced novel, intriguing mesoscopic quantum systems including superconductor-semiconductor hybrid devices and topologically non-trivial electric circuits. A sensitive, general purpose spectrometer to probe the energy levels of these systems is lacking. We propose an on-chip absorption spectrometer functioning well into the millimeter wave band which is based on a voltage-biased superconducting quantum interference device. We demonstrate the capabilities of the spectrometer by coupling it to a variety of superconducting systems, probing phenomena such as quasiparticle and plasma excitations. We perform spectroscopy of a microscopic tunable non-linear resonator in the 40-50 GHz range and measure transitions to highly excited states. The Josephson junction spectrometer, with unprecedented frequency range, sensitivity, and coupling strength will enable new experiments in linear and non-linear spectroscopy of novel mesoscopic systems.
Intrinsic Josephson junctions in high-temperature superconductor Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8 are known for their capability to emit high-power terahertz photons with widely tunable frequencies. Hotspots, as inhomogeneous temperature distributions across the junctions, are believed to play a critical role in synchronizing the gauge-invariant phase difference among the junctions, so as to achieve coherent strong emission. Previous optical imaging techniques have indirectly suggested that the hotspot temperature can go higher than the superconductor critical temperature. However, such optical approaches often disturb the local temperature profile and are too slow for device applications. In this paper, we demonstrate an on-chip in situ sensing technique that can precisely quantify the local temperature profile. This is achieved by fabricating a series of micro sensor junctions on top of an emitter junction and measuring the critical current on the sensors versus the bias current applied to the emitter. This fully electronic on-chip design could enable efficient close-loop control of hotspots in BSCCO junctions and significantly enhance the functionality of superconducting terahertz emitters.