To characterize further the cosmic star formation history at high redshifts, a large-area survey by a cryogenic 4-6 meter class telescope with a focal plane populated by tens of thousands of far-infrared (FIR, 30-300 μm) detectors with broadband detector noise equivalent powers (NEPs) on the order of 3×10^-9 W/√ Hz is needed. Ideal detectors for such a surveyor do not yet exist. As a demonstration of one technique for approaching the ultra-low NEPs required by this surveyor, we present the design of an array of 96 350 µm KIDs that utilize phonon recycling to boost responsivity. Our KID array is fabricated with TiN deposited on a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafer, which is a 2 μm thick layer of silicon bonded to a thicker slab of silicon by a thin oxide layer. The backside thick slab is etched away underneath the absorbers so that the inductors are suspended on just the 2 μm membrane. The intent is that quasiparticle recombination phonons are trapped in the thin membrane, thereby increasing their likelihood of being re-absorbed by the KID to break additional Cooper pairs and boost responsivity. We also present a Monte-Carlo simulation that predicts the amount of signal boost expected from phonon recycling given different detector geometries and illumination strategies. For our current array geometry, the simulation predicts a measurable 50% boost in responsivity.

Date Published: 20 July 2016
PDF: 7 pages
Proc. SPIE 9914, Millimeter, Submillimeter, and Far-Infrared Detectors and Instrumentation for Astronomy VIII, 99142B (20 July 2016); doi: 10.1117/12.2231476

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 9914:
Millimeter, Submillimeter, and Far-Infrared Detectors and Instrumentation for Astronomy VIII
Wayne S. Holland; Jonas Zmuidzinas, Editor(s)