A miniature dilution refrigerator for sub-Kelvin detector arrays

We describe a miniature dilution refrigerator (MDR), operated in continuous mode and suitable for many detector applications at temperatures down to 50 mK. It distinguishes itself from other refrigerators in that it is self-contained and benefits from an internal cycle of the 3 He gas. As a result, no external gas handling system is required so size, weight and complexity of the system is dramatically decreased. The system has no fine capillaries, moving parts or cooled O-rings. It is therefore mechanically very reliable, has no risk of blockages and is unlikely to develop cryogenic leaks. One direct application is balloon-borne or ground-based observations of the CMB using large detector arrays. When these experiments are operated remotely on platforms or at sites with limited infrastructure and maintenance support, a compact and reliable dilution refrigerator becomes essential. We describe a complete system incorporating an MDR which we have built and integrated with a pulse-tube refrigerator to achieve a cooling power of several micro Watt at 100 mK. This system is being developed for a CMB polarization experiment (CLOVER) which requires three independent cryostats to cool large TES detector arrays.