Feed horn coupled bolometer arrays for SPIRE - design, simulations, and measurements

Author

Chattopadhyay, Goutam ; Glenn, Jason ; Bock, James J. ; Rownd, Brooks K. ; Caldwell, Martin ; Griffin, Matthew J.

Author_Institution

Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Technol., Pasadena, CA, USA

Volume

51

Issue

10

fYear

2003

Firstpage

2139

Lastpage

2146

Abstract

In this paper, we present the design, modeling, and measurements of feed horn coupled large bolometer arrays being developed for the Herschel Space Observatory\´s Spectral and Photometric Imaging REceiver (SPIRE) instrument. SPIRE has five arrays of feed horn coupled silicon-nitride micromesh "spider-web" bolometers in two instruments, a three-band photometer, and a two-band Fourier transform spectrometer, each covering the 430-GHz-1.5-THz band. The optical coupling efficiency, bandwidth, and crosstalk between adjacent pixels of the arrays were investigated with numerical electromagnetic-field simulators, and prototype arrays were measured extensively in a test facility. The measured results were found to be in good agreement with simulation predictions, and the simulation results were used as a benchmark for the design goals of the instrument.

Keywords

Fourier transform spectrometers; antenna arrays; bolometers; crosstalk; focal planes; horn antennas; photometers; submillimetre astronomy; submillimetre wave antennas; submillimetre wave receivers; 430 GHz to 1.5 THz; Herschel Space Observatory; SPIRE; Si₃N₄; Si₃N₄ micromesh spider-web bolometers; Spectral and Photometric Imaging REceiver; bandwidth; crosstalk; cryogenic focal plane instruments; deep extragalactic imaging surveys; design; design goals; feed horn coupled bolometer arrays; galactic imaging surveys; integrating cavities; modeling; numerical electromagnetic-field simulators; optical coupling efficiency; simulation results; test facility; three-band photometer; two-band Fourier transform spectrometer; Bolometers; Electromagnetic measurements; Feeds; Instruments; Observatories; Optical arrays; Optical imaging; Optical receivers; Photometry; Predictive models;

fLanguage

English

Journal_Title

Microwave Theory and Techniques, IEEE Transactions on

Publisher

ieee

ISSN

0018-9480

Type

jour

DOI

10.1109/TMTT.2003.817428

Filename

1234756