Hot-electron superconducting nanobolometers-sensors and arrays of
them for high sensitive Terahertz frequency range imaging radiometers
V. A. Cherepenin, A. N. Vystavkin,
A. G. Kovalenko, S. V Shitov, O. V. Koryukin, I. A. Cohn,
A. A. Kuzmin, A. V. Uvarov, A. S. Il’in
Kotel’nikov Institute of Radioengineering and Electronics of RAS
Received March 22, 2011
Abstract. The comparative review of investigations and
development state of super high sensitive superconducting
nanobolometers-sensors for terahertz frequency range imaging array radiometers is
presented. The conclusion concerning preferred design of such bolometers is
made. Hot-electron nanobolometers with combined radiation absorber and
transition edge sensor (TES) are most promising for the achievement of utmost
high sensitivity as opposed to bolometers which radiation absorbers are made as
suspended membranes and transition edge sensors are just membrane temperature
measuring elements. Dimensions of absorber-TES combination have to be small to
the limit – down to tens of nanometer, and operation temperature has to be super
low – down to 30 – 40 mK. The networks of immersion lens, planar antenna,
microstrip and coplanar lines with nanobolometer coupled into them have to be
used to match THz radiation energy transfer to such small nanobolometers. The
design, fabrication technology and application of imaging radiometers using
mentioned above nanobolometers-sensors are considered.
Keywords: terahertz detector arrays, utmost high sensitivity,
imaging radiometers.