AVS 49th International Symposium
    Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS) Thursday Sessions
       Session MM-ThA

Paper MM-ThA8
Silicon Nitride Micromesh Bolometric Detectors for Planck

Thursday, November 7, 2002, 4:20 pm, Room C-210

Session: Fabrication, Integration, and Packaging Techniques for MEMS
Presenter: M. Yun, Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Authors: M. Yun, Jet Propulsion Laboratory
T. Koch, Jet Propulsion Laboratory
J. Bock, Jet Propulsion Laboratory
W. Holmes, Jet Propulsion Laboratory
A. Lange, California Institute of Technology
Correspondent: Click to Email
We report on the design, fabrication and testing of the bolometric detectors for the High Frequency Instrument (HFI) on the Planck Surveyor, ESA mission designed to image the Cosmic Microwave Background that is scheduled for launch in 2007. The bolometric detectors consist of NTD Ge thermistors indium bump-bonded to a fine mesh of silicon nitride. The mesh is metalized to efficiently absorb mm-wave radiation. Unmetalized support becomes excellent thermal isolation from the heat sink. The absorber geometries are of 2 types: one sensitive to both linear polarizations and optimized for background-limited sensitivity at 100, 143, 217, 353, 545 and 857 GHz, the other sensitive to a single linear polarization and optimized for background-limited sensitivity at 143, 217, 353 GHz. The detectors have NEP ~ 10@super -17@ W/(Hz)@super 0.5@ and time constants of several msec.