Method and Apparatus for Evaluating Superconducting Tunnel Junction Detector Noise Versus Bias Voltage

摘要

A technique for characterizing the noise behavior of a superconducting tunnel junction (STJ) detector as a function of its applied bias voltage Vb by stepping the STJ's bias voltage across a predetermined range and, at each applied bias, making multiple measurements of the detector's current, calculating their mean and their standard deviation from their mean, and using this standard deviation as a measure of the STJ detector's noise at that applied bias. Because the method is readily executed under computer control, it is particularly useful when large numbers of STJ detectors require biasing, as in STJ detector arrays In a preferred implementation, the STJ is measured under computer control by attaching it to a digital spectrometer comprising a digital x-ray processor (DXP) coupled to a preamplifier that can set the STJ's bias voltage Vb using a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) controlled by the DXP.

主权项

1. The method of claim 25 wherein measuring σId of the STJ detector as a function of applied bias voltage comprises:
stepping the STJ's bias voltage Vb across a range of bias voltages, and, at each step i,
making multiple measurements of the current Id flowing through the STJ detector,calculating their mean, i,calculating their standard deviation σId,i from the mean, i, andrecording pairs of values {Vb, σId}i so determined, as the noise curve.