Development of Ultrasensitive Photon Detectors and Microwave Amplifiers Using Superconducting Nitride Thin Films

Abstract

This is the final technical report for the KISS Technical Development program entitled "Development of Ultrasensitive Photon Detectors and Microwave Amplifiers Using Superconducting Nitride Thin Films". The Technical Development phase started in January 2011 and concluded in December 2012. The overall goal of this program was to explore the application of high-resistivity superconductors, particularly titanium nitride (TiN), for sensitive photon detection at millimeter through optical/ultraviolet wavelengths. The program was focused on research activities at Caltech and JPL but included participation by our collaborators at Cardiff (Mauskopf/Doyle), NASA/GSFC (Moseley), NIST Boulder (Gao/Irwin), TU Delft (Klapwijk), and UC Santa Barbara (Mazin). Progress reports were given by our collaborators during a KISS-sponsored workshop held at Caltech on February 21-22, 2012.