Development of windowless superconducting X-ray detectors

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 21H03754
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 80040:Quantum beam science-related
• Research Institution: National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology
• Principal Investigator: Fujii Go 国立研究開発法人産業技術総合研究所, 量子・AI融合技術ビジネス開発グローバル研究センター, 主任研究員 (30709598)
• Project Period (FY): 2021-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: X線検出器 / ウィンドウレス / 超伝導 / SEM-EDS

Outline of Final Research Achievements

To realize ultimate soft X-ray detectors that combines high energy resolution of wavelength dispersive X-ray Spectrometers with high detection efficiency of semiconductor detectors, I have developed windowless superconducting X-ray detectors that combines a cooled polycapillary X-ray lens and STJ array X-ray detectors.
It was found that the X-ray detection efficiency decreased when the polycapillary lens was cooled. This was caused not by vibration of the refrigerator used for cooling. The cause of this was not the vibration of the refrigeration machine used for cooling, but the essential point that the polycapillary lens was cooled.
Therefore, I developed a structure that cools the field of view between the polycapillary lens and the X-ray detector. With this structure, we succeeded in reducing the number of X-ray windows to one.

Free Research Field

超伝導デバイス

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

超伝導X線検出器などの低温検出器は、低温で動作させる検出器であるため、熱輻射を除去するウィンドウが必須であり、このウィンドウによる効率低下は避けられないと考えられていた。今回の研究で、効率を下げることなく、熱輻射を低減する手法をいくつか開発した。この技術は、様々な低温検出器に適応可能であり、低温検出器の性能向上につながる。低温検出器は、様々な最先端分野で利用され、低温検出器の性能向上はこれまで難しかった材料分析などにつながると考えられる。