Further developments of series-connected superconducting tunnel junction to radiation detection

• Published in: Review of scientific instruments 1997-10, Vol.68 (10), p.3685-3696
• Main Authors: Kurakado, Masahiko, Ohsawa, Daisuke, Katano, Rintaro, Ito, Shin, Isozumi, Yasuhito
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0034-6748; 1089-7623
• DOI: 10.1063/1.1148012

One of the promising radiation detection devices for various practical applications is the series-connected superconducting tunnel junction (STJ) detector. In this article, interesting topics of the detectors are described since our previous work: e.g., more than two order higher detection efficiency compared with single STJ detectors, high count rate detection, and position resolution. Detectors were cooled to 0.35–0.4 K by means of a convenient 3 He cryostat. The 5.9 and 6.5 keV x rays from 55 Fe are separated by a detector specially designed for x-ray detection. The possible count rate of the series-junction detector estimated from the shaping-time constant applied in the measurements is high, e.g., over 10 4 counts per second. A series-junction detector equipped with a position sensing mechanism has shown a position resolution of about 35 μm in a sensing area with a radius of 1.1 mm. The position resolution of series junctions improves the energy resolution. A new type series-connected STJ detector is also proposed, i.e., the dispersed multitrap series-junction detector, for further improvement of detection efficiency and energy resolution.