Analysis, Simulation and Cryogenic/Mechanical Design for ALMA Band 5 Cartridge

Licentiate thesis, 2011

This licentiate thesis describes the work conducted by the author during the development of the ALMA Band 5 cartridge. The ALMA project as an international collaboration between various continents consisting of 66 antennas in total with ten ALMA receivers that observes in the range from 31 GHz and 950 GHz. The ALMA Band 5 receiver cartridge is designed for a frequency range of 163-211 GHz. For achieving the lowest possible system noise temperature, internal key components in the ALMA Band 5 cartridge, such as mixers and amplifiers, should experience a low temperature in the cryogenic region. By optimizing thermal heat load at various temperature stages and create a rigid structure by using various properties of material’s behaviour in cryogenic temperature, the cartridge are shown to be fulfilling all specified specifications.