Cryogenic LED pixel-to-frequency mapper for kinetic inductance detector arrays

TL;DR

This paper introduces a cryogenic LED-based spatial mapping system for large MKID arrays, enabling precise pixel-to-frequency calibration without moving parts, with potential broad applications in superconducting detectors.

Contribution

A novel LED-based cryogenic wafer mapper for MKID arrays that simplifies spatial and frequency calibration without mechanical movement.

Findings

Successfully mapped a 90-pixel MKID array with 126 LEDs.

Achieved <1.6% frequency non-uniformity across the wafer.

Demonstrated a simple, no-moving-parts mapping method.

Abstract

We present a cryogenic wafer mapper based on light emitting diodes (LEDs) for spatial mapping of a large microwave kinetic inductance detector (MKID) array. In this scheme, an array of LEDs, addressed by DC wires and collimated through horns onto the detectors, is mounted in front of the detector wafer. By illuminating each LED individually and sweeping the frequency response of all the resonators, we can unambiguously correspond a detector pixel to its measured resonance frequency. We have demonstrated mapping a 76.2 mm 90-pixel MKID array using a mapper containing 126 LEDs with 16 DC bias wires. With the frequency to pixel-position correspondence data obtained by the LED mapper, we have found a radially position-dependent frequency non-uniformity < 1.6% over the 76.2 mm wafer. Our LED wafer mapper has no moving parts and is easy to implement. It may find broad applications in superconducting detector and quantum computing/information experiments.