Joseph C. Bardin, University of Massachusetts Amherst
Intellectual Merit: Low-temperature superconductor based sensing systems offer unprecedented sensitivity, but compared to their room temperature counterparts, are relatively undeveloped. The research objective of this program is to explore how the information gathering capabilities of cryogenic sensor systems can be improved by an order of magnitude through novel combinations of ultra-low-power silicon circuits and superconducting sensors. Two different system applications will be studied: terahertz superconductor-insulator-superconductor mixer focal plane arrays and near-infrared superconducting nanowire single photon detector cameras. In each case, the quantitative goal will be to enable the realization of cameras with over 1,000 independent pixels in a single 4 K cryostat. Achieving this level of integration will require an order of magnitude reduction in the power consumption of the active electronics. The basic research carried out under this program is expected to advance the state of the art in cryogenic integrated circuit design, ultra-low-power cryogenic low-noise amplifiers, superconducting nanowire single photon detector readout, on-wafer noise measurement techniques, and the heterogeneous integration of superconductor and semiconductor circuits. This research is important because it addresses open problems in measurement, design, and system integration, and the resulting system capabilities will be transformative to members of the scientific community.
Broader Impacts: The most sensitive of experimental systems rely upon cryogenically cooled electronics. These systems allow scientists to push measurements towards the limits of fundamental physics, and thus have had a profound impact on experimental science. For instance, cryogenically cooled electronic systems allow scientists to study basic physical phenomena through low-temperature physics experiments, to communicate with spacecraft at distant planets, to interface to quantum computers, and to probe the history and contents of the universe through radio astronomy. If successful, the improved instruments that will be enabled by this research program will greatly expand the toolset that scientists have to gather data. The broader impacts also include an aggressive educational and outreach program, which targets participants at all levels. The research themes of the program will be leveraged in order to improve course offerings, both at the undergraduate and graduate levels, and a set of seminars aimed at high school teachers will be created and offered through the UMass STEMEd program. Finally, low-temperature electronics is a field in which there is limited expertise, and the training of new experts who understand the applications of these systems will help to ensure that forward progress continues in the years to come. To this end, a set of yearly scientific site visits will be organized in which graduate and undergraduate researchers will have the opportunity to present their research results to leading scientists and to learn about ongoing work at some of the nations premier research institutions.
