Abstract
We have constructed a test facility for characterizing the focal plane arrays of SAFARI, the far-infrared imaging spectrometer for the SPICA satellite. SAFARI’s three bolometer arrays are populated with extremely sensitive (\(\mathit{NEP}\sim 2\times 10^{-19}~\mathrm{W}/\sqrt{\mathrm{Hz}}\)) transition edge sensors with a transition temperature close to 100 mK. The extreme sensitivity and low saturation power (∼4 fW) of SAFARI’s detectors present challenges to characterizing them. In optimizing the SAFARI Detector System Test Facility we have paid careful attention to stray-light exclusion as well as electrical, magnetic, and mechanical isolation. We present measurements verifying the facility’s performance and analyze them in terms of a two-fluid model of the TES current on the transition to investigate the background power level. We have measured a detector NEP of (5.1±0.4)×10−19 W Hz−1/2, showing that the facility is ready to test the SAFARI prototype arrays and is approaching the performance needed for testing the flight arrays.
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Acknowledgements
We would like to thank A. Detrain, W. Horinga, G. Keizer, D. van Nguyen, M. Popescu, M. Stokroos, J. van der Kuur, and W. J. Vreeling for making this work possible; J. Beyer for SQUIDs and useful advice; and O. Usenko for helpful advice on vibration isolation.
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Audley, M.D., de Lange, G., Ferrari, L. et al. Performance of a Low-Noise Test Facility for the SAFARI TES Bolometer Arrays. J Low Temp Phys 167, 208–213 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10909-012-0492-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10909-012-0492-z