On-Chip Solutions for Future THz Imaging Spectrometers

The mysteries of the early Universe are largely enshrouded in dust, product of the violent process of star formation. Due to the vast distances of our Universe, infrared light emitted by the heated dust back in those early stages can still be observed today, which has been observed to contribute to about half of the total cosmic background...

Focused Connected Array Antenna as a Broadband Beam-Steering Feed for Quasi-Optical System

This communication proposes a broadband and efficient integrated focal plane array solution based on a near-field focused connected array of slots. The focused aperture provides: 1) broadband and highly efficient illumination of the quasi-optical system and 2) scanning capabilities within a focusing system. The connected array antenna in turn...

TiEMPO: Open-source time-dependent end-To-end model for simulating ground-based submillimeter astronomical observations

The next technological breakthrough in millimeter–submillimeter astronomy is three-dimensional imaging spectrometry with wide instantaneous spectral bandwidths and wide fields of view. The total optimization of the focal-plane instrument, the telescope, the observing strategy, and the signal-processing software must enable efficient removal...

DESHIMA 2.0: Development of an Integrated Superconducting Spectrometer for Science-Grade Astronomical Observations

Integrated superconducting spectrometer (ISS) technology will enable ultra-wideband, integral-field spectroscopy for (sub)millimeter-wave astronomy, in particular, for uncovering the dust-obscured cosmic star formation and galaxy evolution over cosmic time. Here, we present the development of DESHIMA 2.0, an ISS for ultra-wideband...

Ultra-sensitive THz microwave kinetic inductance detectors for future space telescopes

Aims. Future actively cooled space-borne observatories for the far-infrared, loosely defined as a 1-10 THz band, can potentially reach a sensitivity limited only by background radiation from the Universe. This will result in an increase in observing speed of many orders of magnitude. A spectroscopic instrument on such an observatory requires...

Combined ultraviolet- and electron-beam lithography with Micro-Resist-Technology GmbH ma-N1400 resist

We present a "mix-and-match"process to create large structures with submicrometer features by combining UV contact lithography and 100 kV electron-beam lithography in a single layer of negative-tone resist: Micro-Resist-Technology ma-N1405. The resist is successfully applied for the fabrication of an on-chip terahertz spectrometer, where the...

Antenna-coupled MKIDs for an Integral Field Unit at 7.8 THz

A focal plane array of extended-hemispherical silicon lenses coupled to aluminum coplanar-waveguide (CPW) Microwave Kinetic Inductance Detectors (MKIDs) has been designed to operate at 7.8 THz. Low-dispersive leaky-wave radiation has been used to efficiently illuminate the antireflection-coated lenses. To minimize the radiation loss from the...

Far infrared imaging spectrometers for the next generation astronomical instruments

Advances in far infrared astronomy have been, and will be, defined by instrument capabilities. Especially relevant is the development of imaging spectrometers for the wavelength range of 0.03-3 mm, which are not available at all at this moment. We will discuss recent advances in this field: First, we discuss the development of miniature on-chip...

Terahertz Band-Pass Filters for Wideband Superconducting On-chip Filter-bank Spectrometers

A superconducting microstrip half-wavelength resonator is proposed as a suitable band-pass filter for broadband moderate spectral resolution spectroscopy for terahertz (THz) astronomy. The proposed filter geometry has a free spectral range of an octave of bandwidth without introducing spurious resonances, reaches a high coupling efficiency in...

Sub-mm-Wave Superconducting On-Chip Filter Bank for Astronomy

A superconducting on-chip microstrip filter bank spectrometer prototype for Far-Infrared (FIR) Astronomy is presented. The measurements showcase its capabilities towards moderate spectral resolution (f/\Delta f\sim 500) broadband FIR spectroscopy. In this sub-mm-wave filter bank, each spectral channel consists of an 'I-shaped' microstrip THz...

Simulating the Radiation Loss of Superconducting Submillimeter Wave Filters and Transmission Lines Using Sonnet EM

Superconducting resonators and transmission lines are fundamental building blocks of integrated circuits for millimeter-submillimeter astronomy. Accurate simulation of radiation loss from the circuit is crucial for the design of these circuits because radiation loss increases with frequency, and can thereby deteriorate the system performance....

DESHIMA on ASTE: On-Sky Responsivity Calibration of the Integrated Superconducting Spectrometer

We are developing an ultra-wideband spectroscopic instrument, DESHIMA (DEep Spectroscopic HIgh-redshift MApper), based on the technologies of an on-chip filter bank and microwave kinetic inductance detector (MKID) to investigate dusty starburst galaxies in the distant universe at millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths. An on-site experiment of...

Wideband Sub-mm Wave Superconducting Integrated Filter-bank Spectrometer

The design of an octave bandwidth sub-mm wave superconducting on-chip filter-bank spectrometer for Astronomy is presented. An array of THz band-pass filters subdivides the bandwidth 220-440 GHz into channels with a spectral resolution of 400 and an average maximum coupling strength f/ Delta {f} of 40%. The filter-bank performance is assessed...

Wideband on-chip terahertz spectrometer based on a superconducting filterbank

Terahertz spectrometers with a wide instantaneous frequency coverage for passive remote sensing are enormously attractive for many terahertz applications, such as astronomy, atmospheric science, and security. Here we demonstrate a wide-band terahertz spectrometer based on a single superconducting chip. The chip consists of an antenna coupled...

First light demonstration of the integrated superconducting spectrometer

Ultra-wideband, three-dimensional (3D) imaging spectrometry in the millimeter–submillimeter (mm–submm) band is an essential tool for uncovering the dust-enshrouded portion of the cosmic history of star formation and galaxy evolution^1–3. However, it is challenging to scale up conventional coherent heterodyne receivers⁴ or...

Quasi-Optical System for the ASTE Telescope with 1:3 Bandwidth at Sub-mm Wave

DESHIMA is a spectrometer for astronomical applications targeting sources at sub-mm wavelengths from 240GHz to 720GHz that will operate in the ASTE telescope in Atacama Desert, Chile. In this work, a quasi-optical system based on a hyper-hemispherical leaky lens antenna and a series of Dragonian reflectors is presented as the coupling chain...

Wideband and high-efficiency radiation from chip with artificial dielectric superstrates

We present an approach to realize wideband and low-loss antennas and antenna arrays on chip. The radiators are loaded with an artificial dielectric superstrate to improve the bandwidth and the overall efficiency. An example of design is proposed, consisting of an array of connected-dipole elements operating in a frequency band around 300 GHz....