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18 March 2021 Kinetic inductance detectors for the Origins Space Telescope
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Abstract

The Origins Space Telescope (Origins) will have a 5.9-m diameter primary mirror cooled to 4.5 K and will be equipped with three instruments, two of which will cover the far-IR (λ  =  25 to 588  μm). These far-IR instruments will require large arrays (∼104 detectors) of ultrasensitive detectors, with noise equivalent powers (NEPs) as low as 3  ×  10  −  20  W Hz  −  1/2. Kinetic inductance detectors (KIDs) have already demonstrated the array format, modularity, and readout multiplexing density requirements for Origins; the only aspect that requires improvement is the per-pixel sensitivity. We show how KIDs can meet the sensitivity target, focusing on two existing architectures that together demonstrate the key necessary attributes. Arrays of antenna-coupled coplanar waveguide resonators have achieved NEPs of 3  ×  10  −  19  W Hz  −  1/2 in laboratory demonstrations at 350  μm; they demonstrate excellent material properties as well as array-level integration and performance. Lumped element detectors such as those under development for balloon-borne spectroscopy at 10 to 350  μm demonstrate flexibility in coupling to shorter-wavelengths, reducing active volume, and providing a means for suppressing capacitor noise. A straightforward combination of the elements of these already-demonstrated devices points to a low-volume design that is expected to meet the Origins sensitivity targets.

CC BY: © The Authors. Published by SPIE under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Unported License. Distribution or reproduction of this work in whole or in part requires full attribution of the original publication, including its DOI.
Steven Hailey-Dunsheath, Reinier M. J. Janssen, Jason Glenn, Charles M. Bradford, Joanna Perido, Joseph Redford, and Jonas Zmuidzinas "Kinetic inductance detectors for the Origins Space Telescope," Journal of Astronomical Telescopes, Instruments, and Systems 7(1), 011015 (18 March 2021). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.JATIS.7.1.011015
Received: 15 June 2020; Accepted: 27 January 2021; Published: 18 March 2021
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CITATIONS
Cited by 11 scholarly publications.
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KEYWORDS
Sensors

Inductance

Resonators

Space telescopes

Aluminum

Capacitors

Absorption

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