University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Development of superconducting microwave resonators for terahertz intensity mapping from balloon and space

Nie, Rong

Content Files
NIE-DISSERTATION-2023.pdf

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/120267

Description

Title
Development of superconducting microwave resonators for terahertz intensity mapping from balloon and space
Author(s)
Nie, Rong
Issue Date
2023-04-16
Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)
Filippini, Jeffrey Peter
Doctoral Committee Chair(s)
Vieira, Joaquin Daniel
Committee Member(s)
  • Holder, Gilbert Patrick
  • Mahmood, Fahad
Department of Study
Physics
Discipline
Physics
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Degree Level
Dissertation
Keyword(s)
  • Far-infrared
  • line intensity mapping
  • kinetic inductance detector
  • Terahertz Intensity Mapper
  • on-chip spectrometer
Abstract
The far-infrared (FIR) wavelength band provides valuable insight into our cosmic origins. A powerful new technique for FIR cosmology is 3-D line intensity mapping (LIM), in which the aggregate emission of a spectral line is mapped as a function of space and cosmic time. After a brief introduction to this technique, I demonstrate the Terahertz Intensity Mapper (TIM): a balloon-borne FIR spectrometer designed to observe key spectral line tracers at the epoch of peak cosmic star formation (z ∼1-3), in order to unveil the processes of galactic evolution. In preparation for TIM’s first flight, currently planned for 2024-2025, I present the design and optimization of the KID arrays. This thesis discusses the design for the Inter-Digitated Capacitors (IDC) and evaluates the KID’s inductor performance by implementing electromagnetic simulations, as well as a custom transmission line model and mode-matching calculations, which provide guidance for its optimization for low-resistance absorber materials. As the main topic for this thesis, the characterizations of the fabricated KIDs, with an emphasis on optical efficiency measurements with two experimental configurations, demonstrate the expected detector performance. In addition, a method that can characterize the absorber’s performance at ambient temperature is described. Lastly, I introduce the development of a novel on-chip spectrometer technology for space-borne FIR intensity observations at higher frequencies. I describe the design & fabrication progress of this spectrometer and preliminary measurement results. Key contributions include (i) TIM detector (for both capacitor and inductor) design and optimization; (ii) TIM detector characterization, with an emphasis on the optical efficiency measurement; (iii) design and fabrication of a novel terahertz on-chip spectrometer; (iv) implementation of various nano/micro-scale fabrication and characterization techniques for FIR cosmology detectors.
Graduation Semester
2023-05
Type of Resource
Thesis
Handle URL
https://hdl.handle.net/2142/120267
Copyright and License Information
Copyright 2023 Rong Nie

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Graduate Theses and Dissertations at Illinois