Abstract
This paper describes the design and experimental testing of a high-sensitivity hot-electron bolometer based a film of normal metal, exploiting the Andreev reflection from superconductor boundaries, and cooled with the help of a superconductor-insulator-normal metal junction. At the measured thermal conductivity, G≈6×10−12 W/K, and a time constant of τ=0.2 μs, and a temperature of 300 mK, the estimated noise-equivalent power NEP=5×10−18 W/Hz1/2, assuming that temperature fluctuations are the major source of noise. At a temperature of 100 mK, the thermal conductivity drops to G≈7×10−14 W/K, which yields NEP=2×10−19 W/Hz1/2 at a time constant of τ=5 μs. The microbolometer has been designed to serve as a detector of millimeter and FIR waves in space-based radio telescopes.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
M. Nahum, P. L. Richards, and C. A. Mears, IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond. 3, 2124 (1993).
M. Nahum and J. M. Martinis, Appl. Phys. Lett. 63, 3075 (1993).
ESA tender A03288: Hot-electron Microbolometers, opened Oct. 2, 1997.
M. M. Leivo, J. P. Pekola, and D. V. Averin, Appl. Phys. Lett. 68, 1996 (1996).
L. Kuzmin, I. Devyatov, D. Golubev, in Proceedings of the 4th Int. Conf. on Millimeter and Submillimeter Waves and Applications, SPIE Int. Society Publ. (1998), p. 63.
D. Shuvaev (Chouvaev), L. Kuzmin, M. Tarasov et al., in Proceedings of the 9th Int. Symp. on Space THz Technology, JPL, California Institute of Technology, NASA (1998), p. 331.
A. T. Lee, S-F. Lee, J. M. Gildemeister, and P. L. Richards, in Proceedings of the 7th Int. Workshop on Low Temperature Detectors, Munich (1997), p. 123.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Zh. Éksp. Teor. Fiz. 115, 1085–1092 (March 1999)
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Vystavkin, A.N., Shuvaev, D.V., Kuz’min, L.S. et al. Normal-metal hot-electron bolometer with Andreev reflection from superconductor boundaries. J. Exp. Theor. Phys. 88, 598–602 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1134/1.558834
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/1.558834