Model and Measurements of an Optical Stack for Broadband Visible to Near-Infrared Absorption in TiN MKIDs.

Typical materials for optical Microwave Kinetic Inductance Detetectors (MKIDs) are metals with a natural absorption of ∼ 30-50% in the visible and near-infrared. To reach high absorption efficiencies (90-100%) the KID must be embedded in an optical stack. We show an optical stack design for a 60 nm TiN film. The optical stack is modeled as sections of transmission lines, where the parameters for each section are related to the optical properties of each layer. We derive the complex permittivity of the TiN film from a spectral ellipsometry measurement. The designed optical stack is optimised for broadband absorption and consists of, from top (illumination side) to bottom: 85 nm SiO2, 60 nm TiN, 23 nm of SiO2, and a 100 nm thick Al mirror. We show the modeled absorption and reflection of this stack, which has >80% absorption from 400 to 1550 nm and near-unity absorption for 500-800 nm. We measure transmission and reflection of this stack with a commercial spectrophotometer. The results are in good agreement with the model.

Large Angle Optical Access in a Sub-Kelvin Cryostat.

The development of lens-antenna-coupled aluminum-based microwave kinetic inductance detectors (MKIDs) and on-chip spectrometers needs a dedicated cryogenic setup to measure the beam patterns of the lens-antenna system over a large angular throughput and broad frequency range. This requires a careful design since the MKID has to be cooled to temperatures below 300 mK to operate effectively. We developed such a cryostat with a large opening angle θ = ± 37 . 8 ∘ and an optical access with a low-pass edge at 950 GHz . The system is based upon a commercial pulse tube cooled 3 K system with a 4 He - 3 He sorption cooler to allow base temperatures below 300 mK . A careful study of the spectral and geometric throughput was performed to minimize thermal loading on the cold stage, allowing a base temperature of 265 mK . Radio-transparent multi-layer-insulation was employed as a recent development in filter technology to efficiently block near-infrared radiation.

Ultrasensitive Kilo-Pixel Imaging Array of Photon Noise-Limited Kinetic Inductance Detectors Over an Octave of Bandwidth for THz Astronomy.

We present the development of a background-limited kilo-pixel imaging array of ultrawide bandwidth kinetic inductance detectors (KIDs) suitable for space-based THz astronomy applications. The array consists of 989 KIDs, in which the radiation is coupled to each KID via a leaky lens antenna, covering the frequency range between 1.4 and 2.8 THz. The single pixel performance is fully characterised using a representative small array in terms of sensitivity, optical efficiency, beam pattern and frequency response, matching very well its expected performance. The kilo-pixel array is characterised electrically, finding a yield larger than 90% and an averaged noise-equivalent power lower than 3  ×  10 - 19  W/Hz 1 / 2 . The interaction between the kilo-pixel array and cosmic rays is studied, with an expected dead time lower than 0.6% when operated in an L2 or a similar far-Earth orbit.

Superconducting Coplanar Waveguide Filters for Submillimeter Wave On-Chip Filterbank Spectrometers.

We show the first experimental results which prove that superconducting NbTiN coplanar-waveguide resonators can achieve a loaded Q factor in excess of 800 in the 350 GHz band. These resonators can be used as narrow band pass filters for on-chip filter bank spectrometers for astronomy. Moreover, the low-loss coplanar waveguide technology provides an interesting alternative to microstrip lines for constructing large scale submillimeter wave electronics in general.

Evidence of a nonequilibrium distribution of quasiparticles in the microwave response of a superconducting aluminum resonator.

In a superconductor, absorption of photons with an energy below the superconducting gap leads to redistribution of quasiparticles over energy and thus induces a strong nonequilibrium quasiparticle energy distribution. We have measured the electrodynamic response, quality factor, and resonant frequency of a superconducting aluminium microwave resonator as a function of microwave power and temperature. Below 200 mK, both the quality factor and resonant frequency decrease with increasing microwave power, consistent with the creation of excess quasiparticles due to microwave absorption. Counterintuitively, above 200 mK, the quality factor and resonant frequency increase with increasing power. We demonstrate that the effect can only be understood by a nonthermal quasiparticle distribution.

Fluctuations in the electron system of a superconductor exposed to a photon flux.

In a superconductor, in which electrons are paired, the density of unpaired electrons should become zero when approaching zero temperature. Therefore, radiation detectors based on breaking of pairs promise supreme sensitivity, which we demonstrate using an aluminium superconducting microwave resonator. Here we show that the resonator also enables the study of the response of the electron system of the superconductor to pair-breaking photons, microwave photons and varying temperatures. A large range in radiation power (at 1.54 THz) can be chosen by carefully filtering the radiation from a blackbody source. We identify two regimes. At high radiation power, fluctuations in the electron system caused by the random arrival rate of the photons are resolved, giving a straightforward measure of the optical efficiency (48 ± 8%) and showing an unprecedented detector sensitivity. At low radiation power, fluctuations are dominated by excess quasiparticles, the number of which is measured through their recombination lifetime.

Number fluctuations of sparse quasiparticles in a superconductor.

We have directly measured quasiparticle number fluctuations in a thin film superconducting Al resonator in thermal equilibrium. The spectrum of these fluctuations provides a measure of both the density and the lifetime of the quasiparticles. We observe that the quasiparticle density decreases exponentially with decreasing temperature, as theoretically predicted, but saturates below 160 mK to 25-55/µm(3). We show that this saturation is consistent with the measured saturation in the quasiparticle lifetime, which also explains similar observations in qubit decoherence times.

Quasiparticle relaxation in optically excited high-Q superconducting resonators.

The quasiparticle relaxation time in superconducting films has been measured as a function of temperature using the response of the complex conductivity to photon flux. For tantalum and aluminum, chosen for their difference in electron-phonon coupling strength, we find that at high temperatures the relaxation time increases with decreasing temperature, as expected for electron-phonon interaction. At low temperatures we find in both superconducting materials a saturation of the relaxation time, suggesting the presence of a second relaxation channel not due to electron-phonon interaction.

Direct observation of the transition from the conventional superconducting state to the pi state in a controllable Josephson junction.

We measure the full supercurrent-phase relation of a controllable pi junction around the transition from the conventional 0 state to the pi state. We show that around the transition the Josephson supercurrent-phase relation changes from I(sc) approximately I(c)sin((phi) to I(sc) approximately I(c)sin((2phi). This implies that, around the transition, two minima in the junction free energy exist, one at phi=0 and one at phi=pi, whereas only one minimum exists at the 0 state (at phi=0) and at the pi state (at phi=pi). Theoretical calculations based on the quasiclassical theory are in good agreement with the observed behavior.

Electrical detection of spin precession in a metallic mesoscopic spin valve.

To study and control the behaviour of the spins of electrons that are moving through a metal or semiconductor is an outstanding challenge in the field of 'spintronics', where possibilities for new electronic applications based on the spin degree of freedom are currently being explored. Recently, electrical control of spin coherence and coherent spin precession during transport was studied by optical techniques in semiconductors. Here we report controlled spin precession of electrically injected and detected electrons in a diffusive metallic conductor, using tunnel barriers in combination with metallic ferromagnetic electrodes as spin injector and detector. The output voltage of our device is sensitive to the spin degree of freedom only, and its sign can be switched from positive to negative, depending on the relative magnetization of the ferromagnetic electrodes. We show that the spin direction can be controlled by inducing a coherent spin precession caused by an applied perpendicular magnetic field. By inducing an average precession angle of 180 degrees, we are able to reverse the sign of the output voltage.