First Tests of Prototype SCUBA-2 Superconducting Bolometer Array

We present results of the first tests on a 1280 pixel superconducting bolometer array, a prototype for SCUBA2, a sub-mm camera being built for the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope in Hawaii. The bolometers are TES (transition edge sensor) detectors; these take advantage of the large variation of resistance with temperature through the superconducting transition. To keep the number of wires reasonable, a multiplexed read-out is used. Each pixel is read out through an individual DC SQUID; room temperature electronics switch between rows in the array by biasing the appropriate SQUIDs in turn. Arrays of 100 SQUIDs in series for each column then amplify the output. Unlike previous TES arrays, the multiplexing elements are located beneath each pixel, making large arrays possible, but construction more challenging. The detectors are constructed from Mo/Cu bi-layers; this technique enables the transition temperature to be tuned using the proximity effect by choosing the thickness of the normal and superconducting materials. To achieve the required performance, the detectors are operated at a temperature of approximately 120 mK. We describe the results of a basic characterisation of the array, demonstrating that it is fully operational, and give the results of signal to noise measurements. To appear in the proceedings of the 24th International Conference on Low Temperature Physics, Orlando, Florida, USA, 10-17th August 2005. ©American Institute of Physics, Suite 1N01, 2 Huntingdon Quadrangle, Melville, NY USA.