Search

The high-resolution mid-infrared spectrometer instrument will fly onboard the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s airborne stratospheric observatory for infrared astronomy in 2019. It will provide astronomers with a unique observing window (25–122 $$\upmu \hbox {m}$$ ) for exploring the evolution of protoplanetary disks into young solar systems. There are two focal plane detector arrays for the instrument: a high-resolution ( $$\lambda / {\varDelta }\lambda \,=\,100{,}000$$ ) $$8\times 16$$ detector array, with a target noise-equivalent power, $$\hbox {NEP} \le 3 \hbox { aW}/\sqrt{\mathrm{Hz}}$$ , and a low-resolution ( $$\lambda / {\varDelta }\lambda =600$$ –19,000) $$16\times 64$$ detector array with a target $$\hbox {NEP }\le 20\hbox { aW}/\sqrt{\mathrm{Hz}}$$ . The detectors for both of these arrays are superconducting Mo/Au bilayer transition-edge sensor bolometers on suspended single-crystal silicon membranes. We present detector characterization results for both arrays, including measurements of thermal conductance in comparison with phonon transport models, and measurements of saturation power and noise.

The high-resolution mid-infrared spectrometer (HIRMES) is a high resolving power (R ~ 100,000) instrument operating in the 25–122 μm spectral range and will fly on board the Stratospheric Observatory for Far-Infrared Astronomy in 2019. Central to HIRMES are its two transition edge sensor (TES) bolometric cameras, an 8 × 16 detector high-resolution array and a 64 × 16 detector low-resolution array. Both types of detectors consist of Mo/Au TES fabricated on leg-isolated Si membranes. Whereas the high-resolution detectors, with a noise equivalent power (NEP) ~ 1.5 × 10−18 W/rt (Hz), are fabricated on 0.45 μm Si substrates, the low-resolution detectors, with NEP ~ 1.0 × 10−17 W/rt (Hz), are fabricated on 1.40 μm Si. Here, we discuss the similarities and differences in the fabrication methodologies used to realize the two types of detectors.

The HIgh-Resolution Mid-infrarEd Spectrometer (HIRMES) is the 3rd Generation Instrument for the Stratospheric Observatory For Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA), currently in development at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), and due for commissioning in 2019. By combining direct-detection Transition Edge Sensor (TES) bolometer arrays, grating-dispersive spectroscopy, and a host of Fabry-Perot tunable filters, HIRMES will provide the ability for high resolution ([Formula: see text]), mid-resolution ([Formula: see text]), and low-resolution ([Formula: see text]) slit-spectroscopy, and 2D Spectral Imaging ([Formula: see text] at selected wavelengths) over the 25–122[Formula: see text][Formula: see text]m mid to far infrared waveband. The driving science application is the evolution of proto-planetary systems via measurements of water-vapor, water-ice, deuterated hydrogen (HD), and neutral oxygen lines. However, HIRMES has been designed to be as flexible as possible to cover a wide range of science cases that fall within its phase-space, all whilst reaching sensitivities and observing powers not yet seen thus far on SOFIA, providing unique observing capabilities which will remain unmatched for decades.