An SIS focal plane imaging array for 350 GHz

Author

Leech, J. ; Withington, S. ; Yassin, G.

Author_Institution

Cavendish Lab., Cambridge Univ., UK

fYear

1999

fDate

1999

Firstpage

146

Lastpage

151

Abstract

Astronomical interest in millimetre and submillimetre wavelengths (f=300 GHz to 1 THz) has fuelled the development of low noise high sensitivity detectors for these wavelengths. HARP (Heterodyne Array Receiver Project) will be a 16 element focal plane imaging array of heterodyne detectors for the 850 micron (325-375 GHz) band. Each element will consist of a mixer employing an SIS (superconductor insulator-superconductor) tunnel junction as the nonlinear device. When attached to the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope in Hawaii the array will offer greatly improved mapping speeds of extended objects complementing existing bolometer detectors and planned millimetre wave aperture synthesis telescopes. This presentation examines aspects of the SIS device physics, quasi-optics, and electromagnetic design for the HARP imaging array. Original results from computer modelling and experiments on a prototype mixer are presented

Keywords

antenna arrays; astronomical instruments; focal planes; heterodyne detection; horn antennas; receiving antennas; reflector antennas; semiconductor-insulator-semiconductor devices; submillimetre astronomy; submillimetre wave antennas; submillimetre wave detectors; submillimetre wave mixers; submillimetre wave receivers; 325 to 375 GHz; HARP; Heterodyne Array Receiver Project; James Clerk Maxwell Telescope; SIS focal plane imaging array; electromagnetic design; extended objects; low noise high sensitivity detectors; mixer; nonlinear device; quasi-optics; Apertures; Bolometers; Detectors; Insulation; Josephson junctions; Object detection; Sensor arrays; Superconducting device noise; Superconducting devices; Telescopes;

fLanguage

English

Publisher

ieee

Conference_Titel

High Frequency Postgraduate Student Colloquium, 1999

Conference_Location

Leeds

Print_ISBN

0-7803-5577-6

Type

conf

DOI

10.1109/HFPSC.1999.809295

Filename

809295