SBIR Phase II: Development of Low-Cost Single-Stage Superconducting Quantum Interface Device (SQUID) Array Amplifiers for High-Resolution Particle and X-Ray Detectors

这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）第二阶段项目致力于开发用于低温粒子探测器的宽带超导量子接口器件（SQUID）放大器。 一种用于实现两级SQUID放大器读出方案的方法首先由美国国家标准与技术研究所（NIST）引入。 利用这种方法，该公司已经优化并成功商业化了第一代SQUID放大器系统与相关的室温电子设备。 该系统的灵敏度为2 pA/root Hz，带宽为2 MHz，工作温度为0.7K - 4.2K。 然而，相对较小的带宽和其工作温度的下限限制了其适用于所有低温探测器的一小部分。 在第一阶段项目中，建立了一种创新设计方案的可行性，该方案集成了100-200 SQUID，能够实现50 MHz带宽，同时保持低噪声性能。 因此，建议为第三阶段商业化工作演示和准备一种基于SQUID架构的放大器系统，该SQUID架构具有1 pA/root Hz灵敏度和50 MHz带宽。 作为开发工作的一部分，制造材料将被改变，以允许操作远低于0.7 K下降到几mK。该系统显著扩展了放大器的适用性，几乎所有的低温X射线和粒子探测器读数。 这种低成本SQUID放大器的可用性将导致它们用于几乎所有的高能物理研究实验，高分辨率X射线光谱学，成像探测器，粒子识别系统，用于脑功能映射的生物磁测量，以及飞机腐蚀和裂纹的检测。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project addresses the development of a wide-bandwidth Superconducting Quantum Interface Device (SQUID)-based amplifier for cryogenic particle detectors. An approach for implementing a two-stage SQUID amplifier readout scheme was first introduced by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Utilizing this approach, the firm has already optimized and successfully commercialized a first-generation SQUID amplifier system with associated room temperature electronics. This system exhibits a sensitivity of 2 pA/root Hz, a bandwidth of 2 MHz, and an operating temperature of 0.7K - 4.2K. However, the relatively small bandwidth and the lower bound of its operating temperature have limited its applicability to a small fraction of all cryogenic detectors. During the Phase I project, the feasibility of an innovative design scheme integrating 100-200 SQUID capable of 50 MHz bandwidth while retaining low noise performance was established. It is, therefore, proposed to demonstrate and prepare for Phase III commercialization effort an amplifier system based on this SQUID architecture which possesses 1 pA/root Hz sensitivity and 50 MHz bandwidth. As part of the development effort, the fabrication materials will be altered to allow operation well below 0.7 K down to a few mK. This system significantly expands the applicability of the amplifier to virtually all cryogenic x-ray and particle detector readouts. The availability of such a low-cost SQUID amplifier would result in their use for nearly all high energy physics research experiments, high-resolution x-ray spectroscopy, imaging detectors, particle identification systems, biomagnetometry for the mapping of brain functions, and detection of corrosion and cracks-in aircraft.