DEVELOPING READOUT SYSTEM FOR CRYOGENIC TEMPERATURE SENSORS

Abstract

This capstone project focused on the development of a readout system for cryogenic temperature sensors. This project required design of the printed circuit board, which using a microcontroller ESP8266 will manage 4 multiplexers. Wireless capabilities of ESP8266 help to multiplex between 8 channels remotely and choose appropriate samples for 4 wire measurement. Early prototypes required an iterative process, and faced manufacturing challenges due to limitations of milling machine capabilities. However, PCB fabrication from JLCPCB significantly enhanced the durability and efficiency of the board. Nevertheless, first designs faced difficulties with noise and dimensions, which was the reason to develop a new PCB. Final version of PCB successfully passed tests and achieved desired goals. Project also included installation of CryoBoss software into the new server and integration of it with LabVIEW, which provides efficient data acquisition and visualization of cryogenic sensors like Lakeshore372. Moreover, capstone included work with Microwave Kinetic Inductance Detectors (MKIDs) and critical temperature measurements. Superconducting samples were wire bonded and then installed into cryostat in order to monitor superconducting properties. Nonetheless, after addressing all issues, the results were positive depicting both critical temperature and resonance frequencies of MKIDs. Overall, results depicted temperature sensing capabilities and provided a detailed view into superconducting device bonding, measuring processes. This could be a foundation for future works in low-temperature applications within quantum computing and astrophysics.