Hoevers, H. F. C., Bento, A. C., Bruijn, M. P., Gottardi, L., Korevaar, M. A. N., Mels, W. A., et al. (2000). Thermal fluctuation noise in a voltage biased superconducting transition edge thermometer. Appl. Phys. Lett., 77(26), 4421–4424.
Abstract: The current noise at the output of a microcalorimeter with a voltage biased superconducting transition edge thermometer is studied in detail. In addition to the two well-known noise sources: thermal fluctuation noise from the heat link to the bath and Johnson noise from the resistive thermometer, a third noise source strongly correlated with the steepness of the thermometer is required to fit the measured noise spectra. Thermal fluctuation noise, originating in the thermometer itself, fully explains the additional noise. A simple model provides quantitative agreement between the observed and calculated noise spectra for all bias points in the superconducting transition.
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Galeazzi, M. (2011). Fundamental noise processes in TES devices. IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond., 21(3), 267–271.
Abstract: Microcalorimeters and bolometers are noise-limited devices, therefore, a proper understanding of all noise sources is essential to predict and interpret their performance. In this paper, I review the fundamental noise processes contributing to Transition Edge Sensor (TES) microcalorimeters and bolometers and their effect on device performance. In particular, I will start with a simple, monolithic device model, moving to a more complex one involving discrete components, to finally move to today's more realistic, comprehensive model. In addition to the basic noise contribution (equilibrium Johnson noise and phonon noise), TES are significantly affected by extra noise, which is commonly referred to as excess noise. Different fundamental processes have been proposed and investigated to explain the origin of this excess noise, in particular near equilibrium non-linear Johnson noise, flux-flow noise, and internal thermal fluctuation noise. Experimental evidence shows that all three processes are real and contribute, at different levels, to the TES noise, although different processes become important at different regimes. It is therefore time to discard the term “excess noise” and consider these terms part of the “fundamental noise processes” instead.
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Bennett, D. A., Schmidt, D. R., Swetz, D. S., & Ullom, J. N. (2014). Phase-slip lines as a resistance mechanism in transition-edge sensors. Appl. Phys. Lett., 104, 042602.
Abstract: The fundamental mechanism of resistance in voltage-biased superconducting films is poorly understood despite its importance as the basis of transition-edge sensors (TESs). TESs are utilized in state-of-the-art microbolometers and microcalorimeters covering a wide range of energies and applications. We present a model for the resistance of a TES based on phase-slip lines (PSLs) and compare the model to data. One of the model's predictions, discrete changes in the number of PSLs, is a possible explanation for the observed switching between discrete current states in localized regions of bias.
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Manus, M. K. M., Kash, J. A., Steen, S. E., Polonsky, S., Tsang, J. C., Knebel, D. R., et al. (2000). PICA: Backside failure analysis of CMOS circuits using picosecond imaging circuit analysis. Microelectronics Reliability, 40, 1353–1358.
Abstract: Normal operation of complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) devices entails the emission of picosecond pulses of light, which can be used to diagnose circuit problems. The pulses that are observed from submicron sized field effect transistors (FETs) are synchronous with logic state switching. Picosecond Imaging Circuit Analysis (PICA), a new optical imaging technique combining imaging with timing, spatially resolves individual devices at the 0.5 micron level and switching events on a 10 picosecond timescale. PICA is used here for the diagnostics of failures on two VLSI microprocessors.
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Steudle, G. A., Schietinger, S., Höckel, D., Dorenbos, S. N., Zadeh, I. E., Zwiller, V., et al. (2012). Measuring the quantum nature of light with a single source and a single detector. Phys. Rev. A, 86(5), 053814.
Abstract: An elementary experiment in optics consists of a light source and a detector. Yet, if the source generates nonclassical correlations such an experiment is capable of unambiguously demonstrating the quantum nature of light. We realized such an experiment with a defect center in diamond and a superconducting detector. Previous experiments relied on more complex setups, such as the Hanbury Brown and Twiss configuration, where a beam splitter directs light to two photodetectors, creating the false impression that the beam splitter is a fundamentally required element. As an additional benefit, our results provide a simplification of the widely used photon-correlation techniques.
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