Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Development of Coherent Detector Technologies for Sub-Millimetre Wave Astronomy Observations

  • Book
  • © 2016

Overview

Authors:
  1. Boon Kok Tan

    1. Department of Physics (Astrophysics), University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom

    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

  • Nominated as an outstanding Ph.D. thesis by the European Astronomical Society
  • Winner of the 2014 MERAC prize awarded by the European Astronomical Society
  • Describes technology that will make a major contribution to the future extension of the operation of major telescopes, such as ALMA, APEX and the GLT, from single pixel to large format arrays
  • Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras

Part of the book series: Springer Theses (Springer Theses)

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this book

Log in via an institution
eBook USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access

Licence this eBook for your library

Institutional subscriptions

Table of contents (11 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xxiv
    Download chapter PDF

  2. Introduction

    • Book-Kok Tan
    Pages 1-14

  3. Multiple Flare-Angle Smooth-Walled Horn

    • Book-Kok Tan
    Pages 15-36

  4. SIS Mixer Theory

    • Book-Kok Tan
    Pages 37-55

  5. Design of Unilateral Finline SIS Mixer

    • Book-Kok Tan
    Pages 57-75

  6. Single-Ended Mixer Tests

    • Book-Kok Tan
    Pages 77-96

  7. Single-Chip Integrated Balanced SIS Mixer

    • Book-Kok Tan
    Pages 97-123

  8. Design of 700 GHz Single Sideband SIS Mixers

    • Book-Kok Tan
    Pages 125-136

  9. The Characteristics of an SIS Junction Near Its Superconducting Gap

    • Book-Kok Tan
    Pages 137-146

  10. Generation of Local Oscillator Signal via Photomixing

    • Book-Kok Tan
    Pages 147-156

  11. CO\({}_{(3\rightarrow 2)}\) Observations of NGC 2976 and NGC 3351

    • Book-Kok Tan
    Pages 157-184

  12. Concluding Remarks

    • Book-Kok Tan
    Pages 185-188

  13. Back Matter

    Pages 189-219
    Download chapter PDF
Back to top

Keywords

About this book

The thesis describes the development of receiver technologies for sub-millimetre astronomy instruments, focusing on high performance coherent cryogenic detectors operating close to the superconductor gap frequency. The mixer chip which comprises the SIS devices, fed by a unilateral finline and matching planar circuits was fabricated on 15 micron silicon substrate using the recently developed Silicon-On-Insulator (SOI) technology. This offered broadband IF and RF performance, with fully integrated on-chip planar circuits resulting in an easily reproducible mixer chip and a simple mixer block. An important consequence of this design is that it can be extended to the supra-THz region and making the fabrication of multi-pixel heterodyne arrays feasible. The extension of the operation of major telescopes such as ALMA, APEX and the GLT from single pixel to large format arrays is the subject of extensive research at present time since it will allow fast mapping combined with high resolution of the submillimetre sky. The technology described in this thesis makes a major contribution to this effort.

Authors and Affiliations

  • Department of Physics (Astrophysics), University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom

    Boon Kok Tan

About the author

After completing the Bachelor degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering in 2001, Boon Kok Tan was offered a postgraduate position in Solar Engineering, and was awarded the Master degree in 2002. Following a lecturing career at Tunku Abdul Rahman University in Kuala Lumpur, he was offered a D. Phil position – funded by the prestigious King of Malaysia awards – at Oxford Astrophysics to work on the development of quantum limited coherent detectors for submillimetre astronomy. B. K. Tan obtained the D. Phil degree at Oxford in 2012. He is currently a member the Millimetre Detectors group of Oxford Astrophysics, leading the development of coherent THz detectors for the Atacama Large Millimetre Array (ALMA) and collaborates also with the Wawasan Open University, Malaysia.
Dr. Tan was awarded the 2014 MERAC Prize by the European Astronomical Society for the Best Doctoral Thesis in the category "Technologies".

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: Development of Coherent Detector Technologies for Sub-Millimetre Wave Astronomy Observations

  • Authors: Boon Kok Tan

  • Series Title: Springer Theses

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-19363-2

  • Publisher: Springer Cham

  • eBook Packages: Physics and Astronomy, Physics and Astronomy (R0)

  • Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2016

  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-319-19362-5Published: 05 October 2015

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-3-319-37318-8Published: 23 August 2016

  • eBook ISBN: 978-3-319-19363-2Published: 15 September 2015

  • Series ISSN: 2190-5053

  • Series E-ISSN: 2190-5061

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: XXIV, 219

  • Topics: Astronomy, Observations and Techniques, Optics, Lasers, Photonics, Optical Devices

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Back to top

Search

Navigation