The Superconducting Terahertz Devices group develops ultra-sensitive and fast superconducting detectors for frequencies from 200 GHz to 30 THz (wavelengths 1.5 mm to 10 µm). Although the main application for our detectors is in the field of astronomy, we additionally also develop detectors for atmospheric research and for our in-house laboratory spectroscopy groups. The strength of our group lies in the capability to design, fabricate, test and qualify complete detector units - starting from a blank wafer in the cleanroom and ending with a complete unit with all optical, mechanical and electrical interfaces according to the specs required by the receiver (e.g. the HIFI Band 2, upGREAT for SOFIA). This generally involves a number of iteration cycles for each component, for which corresponding infrastructure and expertise is available in-house. Understanding the underlying detector physics is indispensible for interpretation of the measurement results.

Details about various aspects of our work can be found in the links above.