Transition edge sensors are the detectors of choice for a wide range of applications; from dark matter search, neutrino search, to cosmic radiation detection from near infrared to millimeter wavelengths. We are developing transition edge sensors using superconducting iridium thin films and we are proposing their use for future dark matter and neutrino search experiments. Our Ir films are deposited using an radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering and photolithographic techniques and measured using an adiabatic refrigerator capable of reaching temperatures of a few tens of mK. This thesis presents a detailed description of superconducting iridium thin films from the fabrication process to the characterization of the film properties at room temperature and low temperature. Alternative options for the bias circuit used to read out the TES signals will be discussed, we are proposing the use of RLC resonant circuits and transformers instead of SQUIDS.

A superconducting Transition Edge Sensor (TES) can be used to make the most sensitive thermometer which operates in a very narrow temperature range. The thin film bi-layer fabrication details are discussed as well as application in condensed matter physics. These include: measurement of quasi-adiabatic latent heat of superconducting transition, cobalt thermometry and photon detection.

A superconducting Transition Edge Sensor (TES) can be used to make the most sensitive thermometer which operates in a very narrow temperature range. The thin film bi-layer fabrication details are discussed as well as application in condensed matter physics. These include: measurement of quasi-adiabatic latent heat of superconducting transition, cobalt thermometry and photon detection.

This thesis concerns technical aspects related to the design and operation of the submillimetre common-user bolometer array 2 (SCUBA-2) instrument, a new wide-field camera for submillimetre astronomy currently undergoing commissioning on the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope on Mauna Kea, Hawaii. Offering unprecedented sensitivity and mapping capabilities, SCUBA-2 is expected to make a major impact in surveys of the sky at submillimetre wavelengths, a largely unexplored part of the electromagnetic spectrum, and provide better understanding of the formation and evolution of galaxies, stars and planets by providing large, unbiased samples of such objects. SCUBA-2 uses large arrays of bolometers, with superconducting transition edge sensors (TESs) as the temperature-sensitive element. TES devices are a relatively new technology, utilising the sharp resistance change between the normal and superconducting states to make a sensitive thermistor. Kilopixel arrays of such devices are multiplexed using superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDs). This thesis derives the key detector performance parameters, and presents analysis of engineering data to confirm the detector performance on array scales. A key issue for bolometric instruments for far infrared and submillimetre astronomy is the need to operate at extremely low temperatures in the sub-kelvin and millikelvin ranges to achieve the necessary detector sensitivity. This work describes the design, testing and performance of the liquid cryogen-free millikelvin cryostat, the first such instrument to be deployed for astronomy. Subsequent chapters detail the design and testing of a magnetic shielding scheme for the instrument, an important aspect of the operation of superconducting devices. Based on experience with the construction and testing of this instrument, a number of potential improvements for future instruments are presented and discussed.

Bolometers are the most sensitive detectors for measuring millimeter and submillimeter wavelength astrophysical signals. Cameras comprised of arrays of bolometers have already made significant contributions to the field of astronomy. A challenge for bolometer cameras is obtaining observations at multiple wavelengths. Traditionally, observing in multiple bands requires a partial disassembly of the instrument to replace bandpass filters, a task which prevents immediate spectral interrogation of a source. More complex cameras have been constructed to observe in several bands using beam splitters and dichroic filters, but the added complexity leads to physically larger instruments with reduced efficiencies. The SPEctral Energy Distribution camera (SPEED) is a new type of bolometer camera designed to efficiently observe in multiple wavebands without the need for excess bandpass filters and beam splitters. SPEED is a ground-based millimeter-wave bolometer camera designed to observe at 2.1, 1.3, 1.1, and 0.85 mm simultaneously. SPEED makes use of a new type of bolometer, the frequency selective bolometer (FSB), to observe all of the wavebands within each of the camera's four pixels. FSBs incorporate frequency selective dipole surfaces as absorbing elements allowing each detector to absorb a single, narrow band of radiation and pass all other radiation with low loss. Each FSB also contains a superconducting transition-edge sensor (TES) that acts as a sensitive thermistor for measuring the temperature of the FSB. This thesis describes the development of the SPEED camera and FSB detectors. The design of the detectors used in the instrument is described as well as the the general optical performance of frequency selective dipole surfaces. Laboratory results of both the optical and thermal properties of millimeter-wave FSBs are also presented. The SPEED instrument and its components are highlighted and the optical design of the optics which couple SPEED to the Heinrich Hertz Telescope is given. This thesis concludes with an introduction to the jiggle mapping data analysis of bolometer instruments like SPEED.

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