• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.21 no.10
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• pp.943-949
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• 2008

We report on the development of transition edge sensors for x-ray detection. The sensor technology was based on the fabrication of a superconducting film on a thin membrane. A bilayer of a superconductor, Ti, and a noble metal, Au, was e-beam evaporated on a micromachined SiNx. Another Au layer was evaporated on the two side edges of the bilayer in order not to be affected by structural imperfections at the boundaries. With the method described in the present report, the superconducting transition temperature of the device was consistently achieved to near 80 mK with a sharp transition. The energy spectrum ueasured with the device provided 37 eV FWHM for 5.9 x-rays. We also discuss the design and fabrication considerations as well as the performance of the device in detail.

• 한국초전도학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2008.08a
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• pp.10-10
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• 2008

• Progress in Superconductivity
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.162-166
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• 2008

We are developing a sensitive gamma ray spectrometer based on superconducting transition edge sensors. The detector consists of a small piece of high purity Sn as an absorber and a Ti/Au bilayer as a temperature sensor. It is designed to measure the thermal signal caused by absorption of gamma rays. The mechanical support and the thermal contact between the absorber and the thermometer were made with Stycast epoxy. The bilayer was formed by e-beam evaporation and patterned by wet etching on top of a $SiN_X$ membrane. A sharp superconducting transition of the film was measured near 100 mK. When the film was biased to the edge of the transition, signals were observed due to single photon absorption emitted from an $^{241}Am$ source. The measured spectrum showed several characteristic peaks of the source including 59.5 keV gamma line. The full with at half maximum was about 900 eV for the 59.5 keV gamma line. The background was low enough to resolve low energy lines. Considerations to improve the energy resolution of the gamma ray spectrometer are also discussed.

• 한국초전도학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2008.08a
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• pp.49-49
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• 2008

• 한국초전도학회:학술대회논문집
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• v.13
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• pp.51-51
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• 2003

• 한국초전도학회:학술대회논문집
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• v.12
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• pp.20-20
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• 2002

• Progress in Superconductivity
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.41-45
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• 2010

Low temperature micro-calorimeters have been employed in the field of high resolution alpha spectrometers. These alpha detectors typically consist of a superconducting or metal absorber and a temperature sensor. The temperature sensor can be a transition edge sensor (TES), a metallic magnetic calorimeter (MMC) or other low temperature detectors for an accurate measurement of temperature change due to an alpha particle absorption. We report a recent study of the heat flow between a replaceable absorber and a temperature sensor. A piece of gold foil in $2.4{\times}2.7{\times}0.03\;mm^3$ is used as an absorber. A $40\;{\mu}m$ diameter Au:Er paramagnetic sensor is attached to another small piece of gold foil in $400{\times}200{\times}30\;{\mu}m^3$ to serve as the temperature sensor. This sensor assembly, Au:Er and gold foil, is placed on a miniature SQUID susceptometer in a gradiometric configuration. The thermal connection between the absorber and the sensor was made with three gold bonding wires. The measured thermal conductance shows a linear dependence to the temperature. The values are in a good agreement with Wiedemann-Franz type thermal conductance of the gold wires.

• Progress in Superconductivity
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.31-37
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• 2003

Wide-bandwidth SQUID current amplifier and its control electronics have been constructed for detecting pulse outputs of a superconducting microcalorimeter. The current amplifier made of a double relaxation oscillation SQUID (DROS) has a bandwidth of 1.2 MHz and typical white noise level of about 6 pA/(equation omitted) Hz. To increase the dynamic range of the current amplifier, the flux-locked loop (FLL) has additional circuits to reset the integrator and to count reset numbers which present the number of passed flux quanta. In this system, dynamic range covers from -65 mA to +65 mA. SQUID electronics are controlled by software to get the optimum FLL condition, and to control the current to bias the transition edge sensor (TES). The electronics are shielded from the outside electromagnetic noises by using an aluminum case of 66 mm ${\times}$ 25 mm ${\times}$ 100 mm, and consist of 2 separate printed-circuit-boards for the current amplifier and the control electronics, respectively. The SQUID current amplifier and its control electronics will be used in TESs for detecting photons such as UV and X-ray with high energy resolution.