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We succeeded in separating the STJ upper electrode events from other electrode events. This study is for X-ray spectroscopy of slow ions. With a SQUID amplifier, it is clearly seen that the upper electrode signal has a sharp peak with a narrow base, while the other has a relatively gentle peak with a wide base. The difference in signal width was used to separate the upper electrode events from other electrode events. Then the X-ray spectroscopy of slow highly charged ions was carried out at RIKEN. The results are shown here.

We are developing high-resolution X-ray detectors based on superconducting tunnel junctions (STJs). A two-stage superconducting quantum-interference device (SQUID) amplifier with high gain, low noise and high sensitivity was employed as a readout electronic device. We have developed the STJ readout circuit which makes it possible to optimize the STJ bias condition without disturbing the operating point of the SQUID amplifier. High-resolution X-ray detectors using our system is discussed.

X-ray detectors based on Nb/Al/AlO x /Al/Nb superconducting tunnel junctions (STJ) have been fabricated. X-ray responses of the fabricated STJs were measured by illumination with X-rays from a 55 Fe electron capture source. The energy resolution of 41, 58 and 65 eV (FWHM) at 5.9 keV were obtained for 20×20, 100×100, 200×200 μm 2 , square-shaped devices, respectively. The X-ray measurements were performed at 0.35 K using a charge-sensitive preamplifier at room temperature. We also discussed the capability to suppress the substrate phonon events using Al 2 O 3 insulation layer. An advantage for the combined use of the Al 2 O 3 insulation layer and the sapphire substrate was demonstrated.

Superconducting tunnel junctions (STJ), with a buffer layer between the silicon substrate and junction, are being developed for use as high-resolution X-ray detectors. Aluminum-oxide (Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/) is employed as the buffer layer in order to suppress the phonon mediated background from the Si substrate. The extent of phonon insulation was studied by measuring the X-ray spectra of STJs as a function of buffer layer thickness. The phonon insulation ability of Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/ was compared to that of magnesium-oxide. The Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/ layer should be a good phonon insulator, with the ability to suppress phonons with a single buffer layer.

A compact system for an STJ-based high resolution X-ray detection system using a SQUID amplifier has been developed. A noise level of less than 4.8 mV at the SQUID output pulse height of 1.2 V for Nb-based STJ signals was achieved in the temperature range of 1.7-4.2 K with good reproducibility under an external magnetic field of about 0.01 Tesla, which was applied to suppress the Josephson current of the STJ. The results show the possibility of constructing a compact STJ-based X-ray detection system with an 'on-site' low noise SQUID preamplifier.

Sensitive n-type and p-type germanium thermistors were fabricated by the melt doping technique and by the neutron transmutation doping (NTD) technique, respectively, aiming at a use for the cryogenic thermal detector, or bolometer of Tokyo dark matter search programme. We report on the measurements of the sensitivities of these thermistors. In particular, the p-type thermistors are sensitive enough to scale up our existing prototype LiF bolometer and realize a multiple array of the bolometers with the total absorber mass of about 1\,kg., Comment: 14 pages, revtex, with 4 postscript figures appended (uuencoded)

Niobium-based superconducting tunnel junctions (STJs) with aluminum trapping layers as X-ray detectors were fabricated. We applied a fabrication technique for reducing the leakage current and improving the energy resolution for X-rays at around 6 keV. The edges of two Al layers sandwiching a tunneling barrier were oxidized by plasma discharge. The performance of these new STJs was compared with other types of STJs to which thermal oxidization in an O2 atmosphere had been applied. The oxidization process in O2 plasma significantly improved the energy resolution for X-rays, which reached values (FWHM) of 41 eV, 58 eV, 65 eV, and 129 eV for STJs with the size of 20×20 µm2, 100×100 µm2, 200×200 µm2, and 500×500 µm2, respectively.

The spectra of substrate phonon events induced by illuminating with X-rays obtained with Nb-based superconducting tunnel junctions (STJs) fabricated on a sapphire substrate were examined. We constructed a geometrical model in which the collection efficiency of phonons is proportional to the solid angle subtended to the STJ from the position of the absorption. By using the Monte-Carlo simulation, we succeeded in fairly reproducing the features of the spectra obtained by our measurements. A comparison of the model spectra with the measured ones revealed that a mismatch of the acoustic impedance at the junction-substrate interface and the spatial spread of a phonon cloud play an important role in the determination of the spectra. By including these effects, we show that the measured spectra can be well reproduced by adjusting only one free parameter, the radius of the phonon cloud. We estimated this radius in a sapphire substrate to be ∼20 µm under 5.9 keV X-ray illumination.