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Leutenegger MA, Eckart ME, Moseley SJ, Rohrbach SO, Black JK, Chiao MP, Kelley RL, Kilbourne CA, Porter FS. Simple, compact, high-resolution monochromatic x-ray source for characterization of x-ray calorimeter arrays. Rev Sci Instrum 2020; 91:083110. [PMID: 32872938 DOI: 10.1063/5.0005206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2020] [Accepted: 08/02/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
X-ray calorimeters routinely achieve very high spectral resolution, typically a few eV full width at half maximum (FWHM). Measurements of calorimeter line shapes are usually dominated by the natural linewidth of most laboratory calibration sources. This compounds the data acquisition time necessary to statistically sample the instrumental line broadening and can add systematic uncertainty if the intrinsic line shape of the source is not well known. To address these issues, we have built a simple, compact monochromatic x-ray source using channel cut crystals. A commercial x-ray tube illuminates a pair of channel cut crystals that are aligned in a dispersive configuration to select the Kα1 line of the x-ray tube anode material. The entire device, including the x-ray tube, can be easily hand-carried by one person and may be positioned manually or using a mechanical translation stage. The output monochromatic beam provides a collimated image of the anode spot with magnification of unity in the dispersion direction (typically 100 μm-200 μm for the x-ray tubes used here) and is unfocused in the cross-dispersion direction so that the source image in the detector plane appears as a line. We measured output count rates as high as 10 count/s/pixel for the Hitomi soft x-ray spectrometer, which had 819 μm square pixels. We implemented different monochromator designs for energies of 5.4 keV (one design) and 8.0 keV (two designs), which have effective theoretical FWHM energy resolution of 0.125 eV, 0.197 eV, and 0.086 eV, respectively; these are well-suited for optimal calibration measurements of state-of-the art x-ray calorimeters. We measured an upper limit for the energy resolution of our Cr Kα1 monochromator of 0.7 eV FWHM at 5.4 keV, consistent with the theoretical prediction of 0.125 eV.
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Affiliation(s)
- M A Leutenegger
- Code 662, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, USA
| | - M E Eckart
- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California 94550, USA
| | - S J Moseley
- Code 662, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, USA
| | - S O Rohrbach
- Code 551, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, USA
| | - J K Black
- Rock Creek Scientific, 1400 East-West Hwy, Suite 807, Silver Spring, Maryland 20910, USA
| | - M P Chiao
- Code 592, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, USA
| | - R L Kelley
- Code 662, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, USA
| | - C A Kilbourne
- Code 662, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, USA
| | - F S Porter
- Code 662, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, USA
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Wassell EJ, Adams JS, Bandler SR, Betancourt-Martinez GL, Chiao MP, Chang MP, Chervenak JA, Datesman AM, Eckart ME, Ewin AJ, Finkbeiner FM, Ha JY, Kelley R, Kilbourne CA, Miniussi AR, Sakai K, Porter F, Sadleir JE, Smith SJ, Wakeham NA, Yoon W. Fabrication of X-ray Microcalorimeter Focal Planes Composed of Two Distinct Pixel Types. IEEE Trans Appl Supercond 2017; 27:2300205. [PMID: 28804229 PMCID: PMC5548520 DOI: 10.1109/tasc.2016.2633783] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
We are developing superconducting transition-edge sensor (TES) microcalorimeter focal planes for versatility in meeting specifications of X-ray imaging spectrometers including high count-rate, high energy resolution, and large field-of-view. In particular, a focal plane composed of two sub-arrays: one of fine-pitch, high count-rate devices and the other of slower, larger pixels with similar energy resolution, offers promise for the next generation of astrophysics instruments, such as the X-ray Integral Field Unit (X-IFU) instrument on the European Space Agency's Athena mission. We have based the sub-arrays of our current design on successful pixel designs that have been demonstrated separately. Pixels with an all gold X-ray absorber on 50 and 75 micron scales where the Mo/Au TES sits atop a thick metal heatsinking layer have shown high resolution and can accommodate high count-rates. The demonstrated larger pixels use a silicon nitride membrane for thermal isolation, thinner Au and an added bismuth layer in a 250 micron square absorber. To tune the parameters of each sub-array requires merging the fabrication processes of the two detector types. We present the fabrication process for dual production of different X-ray absorbers on the same substrate, thick Au on the small pixels and thinner Au with a Bi capping layer on the larger pixels to tune their heat capacities. The process requires multiple electroplating and etching steps, but the absorbers are defined in a single ion milling step. We demonstrate methods for integrating heatsinking of the two types of pixel into the same focal plane consistent with the requirements for each sub-array, including the limiting of thermal crosstalk. We also discuss fabrication process modifications for tuning the intrinsic transition temperature (Tc) of the bilayers for the different device types through variation of the bilayer thicknesses. The latest results on these "hybrid" arrays will be presented.
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Affiliation(s)
- E J Wassell
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, 20771, USA. Stinger-Ghaffarian Technologies, Inc., Greenbelt, MD 20771 USA
| | - J S Adams
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, 20771, USA. CRESST, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742 USA
| | - S R Bandler
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, 20771, USA
| | - G L Betancourt-Martinez
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, 20771, USA. University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742 USA
| | - M P Chiao
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, 20771, USA
| | - M P Chang
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, 20771, USA
| | - J A Chervenak
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, 20771, USA
| | - A M Datesman
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, 20771, USA. Stinger-Ghaffarian Technologies, Inc., Greenbelt, MD 20771 USA
| | - M E Eckart
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, 20771, USA
| | - A J Ewin
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, 20771, USA
| | - F M Finkbeiner
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, 20771, USA. Wyle Information Systems, McLean, VA 22102 USA
| | - J Y Ha
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, 20771, USA. SB Microsystems Inc., Glen Burnie, MD 20161 USA
| | - R Kelley
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, 20771, USA
| | - C A Kilbourne
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, 20771, USA
| | - A R Miniussi
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, 20771, USA
| | - K Sakai
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, 20771, USA. Universities Space Research Association, MD, USA
| | - F Porter
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, 20771, USA
| | - J E Sadleir
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, 20771, USA
| | - S J Smith
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, 20771, USA. CRESST, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742 USA
| | - N A Wakeham
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, 20771, USA. Universities Space Research Association, MD, USA
| | - W Yoon
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, 20771, USA. Universities Space Research Association, MD, USA
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Eckart ME, Boyce KR, Brown GV, Chiao MP, Fujimoto R, Haas D, den Herder JW, Ishisaki Y, Kelley RL, Kilbourne CA, Leutenegger MA, McCammon D, Mitsuda K, Porter FS, Sawada M, Sneiderman GA, Szymkowiak AE, Takei Y, Tashiro M, Tsujimoto M, de Vries CP, Watanabe T, Yamada S, Yamasaki NY. Calibration of the microcalorimeter spectrometer on-board the Hitomi (Astro-H) observatory (invited). Rev Sci Instrum 2016; 87:11D503. [PMID: 27910640 DOI: 10.1063/1.4961075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
The Hitomi Soft X-ray Spectrometer (SXS) was a pioneering non-dispersive imaging x-ray spectrometer with 5 eV FWHM energy resolution, consisting of an array of 36 silicon-thermistor microcalorimeters at the focus of a high-throughput soft x-ray telescope. The instrument enabled astrophysical plasma diagnostics in the 0.3-12 keV band. We introduce the SXS calibration strategy and corresponding ground calibration measurements that took place from 2012-2015, including both the characterization of the microcalorimeter array and measurements of the x-ray transmission of optical blocking filters.
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Affiliation(s)
- M E Eckart
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 662, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, USA
| | - K R Boyce
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 592, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, USA
| | - G V Brown
- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California 94550, USA
| | - M P Chiao
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 662, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, USA
| | - R Fujimoto
- Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Ishikawa 920-1192, Japan
| | - D Haas
- SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - J-W den Herder
- SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Y Ishisaki
- Tokyo Metropolitan University, Hachioji, Tokyo 192-0397, Japan
| | - R L Kelley
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 662, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, USA
| | - C A Kilbourne
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 662, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, USA
| | - M A Leutenegger
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 662, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, USA
| | - D McCammon
- University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - K Mitsuda
- Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, JAXA, Sagamihara, Kanagawa 252-5210, Japan
| | - F S Porter
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 662, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, USA
| | - M Sawada
- Aoyama Gakuin University, Sagamihara, Kanagawa 252-5258, Japan
| | - G A Sneiderman
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 592, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, USA
| | | | - Y Takei
- Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, JAXA, Sagamihara, Kanagawa 252-5210, Japan
| | - M Tashiro
- Saitama University, Sakura-ku, Saitama 338-8570, Japan
| | - M Tsujimoto
- Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, JAXA, Sagamihara, Kanagawa 252-5210, Japan
| | - C P de Vries
- SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - T Watanabe
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 662, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, USA
| | - S Yamada
- Tokyo Metropolitan University, Hachioji, Tokyo 192-0397, Japan
| | - N Y Yamasaki
- Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, JAXA, Sagamihara, Kanagawa 252-5210, Japan
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