Abstract
The transition-edge sensor (TES) as a type of low-temperature superconducting detector offers superior sensitivity due to its low thermal noise. In this work, we present a prototype TES bolometer designed for cosmic microwave background (CMB) polarization measurements. This TES is made of aluminum doped with a low concentration of manganese (2000 ppm by atomic percentage), and is deposited on the SiNx membrane which connects to the silicon substrate via narrow legs. In order to calculate its electrothermal parameters we have performed dark characterizations, which include measuring voltage-current (IV) curve at different bath temperatures, square-wave time response at various bias voltages, and noise level. This TES bolometer shows a noise equivalent power (NEP) of about \(5\times 10^{-17}\) W/\(\sqrt{\textrm{Hz}}\), which meets the requirement of CMB observation. However, its saturation power is smaller and time constant is larger than what are expected. We have analyzed the reasons and will make corresponding improvements in our future work.
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Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank Dr.Guanhua Gao for his contribution to fabrication.
Funding
This work is supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (Grant No. 2022YFC2205000, No. 2020YFC2201604, No. 2022YFC2205002, No. 2021YFC2203400).
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Zhengwei Li arranged the experiment routine. Yongping Li and Xufang Li helped in data acquisition and analysis. Yu Xu and Daikang Yan did the experiment, analyzed data in detail and wrote the main manuscript text. All authors reviewed the manuscript.
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Xu, Y., Li, Z., Li, Y. et al. Design and characterization of a 90 GHz CMB TES bolometer. Exp Astron 57, 8 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10686-024-09927-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10686-024-09927-x