On the development of a reconfigurable readout for superconducting arrays

Abstract

We describe the development of a reconfigurable frequency multiplexed readout system for superconducting arrays. This system is an upgrade to the ROACH2 based readout system we have developed for a number of balloon-borne and ground-based instruments including BLAST-TNG, OLIMPO, MUSCAT, Superspec and TolTEC. Specifically our development has targeted the RFSoC ZCU111 evaluation board of which the size, weight, power, and instantaneous bandwidth have made it an attractive candidate for future balloon-borne or space-based astronomical instruments. Applications for the new readout system focus primarily on: frequency multiplexed superconducting nanowires single-photon detectors, Kinetic inductance detectors, Transition Edge Sensors, and Quantum Capacitance detectors. We will discuss the overlapping readout requirements that drive the general firmware architecture. Preliminary measurements with the new readout system using different detector technologies will also be presented.