A scalable cryogenic LED module for selectively illuminating kinetic inductance detector arrays.

Abstract

We present the design and measured performance of a light emitting diode (LED) module for spatially mapping kinetic inductance detector (KID) arrays in the laboratory. Our novel approach uses a multiplexing scheme that only requires seven wires to control 480 red LEDs, and the number of LEDs can be scaled up without adding any additional wires. This multiplexing approach relies on active surface mount components that can operate at cryogenic temperatures down to 10K. Cryogenic tests in liquid nitrogen and inside our cryostat demonstrate that the multiplexer circuit works at 77 and 10K, respectively. The LED module presented here is tailored for our millimeter-wave detector modules, but the approach could be adapted for use with other KID-based detector systems.