Abstract
Metallic magnetic calorimeters (MMC) are energy dispersive detectors for photons and energetic particles. Recently, MMCs have been shown to be well suited for high resolution X-ray spectroscopy. These devices have potential applications in nano-scale chemical analysis and in focal-plane arrays in X-ray telescopes. In an MMC the magnetization of localized paramagnetic ions in a small magnetic field is used to monitor the temperature. A dilute concentration of ions is embedded in a metallic host to achieve fast response. This sensor is attached to a metallic X-ray absorber with a short thermal time constant. High-energy resolution can be obtained by using a low-noise, high-bandwidth DC SQUID to measure the small change in magnetization upon the absorption of an X-ray. With recent prototype detectors an energy resolution of ΔEFWHM = 3.4 eV for X-ray energies up to 6 keV has been achieved. We discuss the thermodynamic properties of MMCs, the energy resolution, various sources of noise and general design considerations, which are important for a fully integrated micro-fabrication of MMCs. (© 2004 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
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