Mr. Ariel Roitman

YBCO based Microwave Kinetic Inductance Detectors

Abstarct:

The Microwave Kinetic Inductance Detector (MKID) is a superconducting photon detector that operates by detecting changes in the kinetic inductance of a superconductor. While MKIDs based on low-Tc superconductors have been widely studied, the use of high-Tc superconductors, such as YBa2Cu3O7-δ (YBCO), in MKIDs has been relatively rare. However, HTS-based MKIDs offer advantages such as simpler cooling systems, higher working temperatures, and potentially reduced noise. In this research work, the focus was on fabricating and characterizing YBCO-based MKIDs, achieving significant improvements in performance compared to previous results. The design and fabrication process involved electromagnetic simulations and optimization using the SONNET software, resulting in a high-quality factor and low noise equivalent power. Measurements of temperature and magnetic field dependencies provided valuable insights into the underlying mechanisms affecting the resonance frequency and Q-factor of the MKID. The experiments demonstrated the influence of screening currents and vortices, with different behaviors observed in zero field cooled and field cooled measurements. Overall, this study highlights the potential of HTS-based MKIDs and provides valuable insights for further development and applications of this technology.