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

Nie, Rong

Permalink

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

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

Copyright and License Information

Copyright 2023 Rong Nie

Owning Collections