Title: mm/sub-mm wave direct detectors used in astronomical instruments
Abstract: Arrays of superconducting direct detectors are heavily used in modern millimeter-wave and sub-mm-wave telescopes. Transition Edge Sensors (TES) and Kinetic Inductance Detectors (KIDs) are the two major families of the technology adopted in these detectors. In this talk I will discuss the operation and the characteristics of these two types of detectors. I will also briefly introduce the Terahertz Intensity Mapper(TIM), a KIDs-based balloon-borne telescope designed to study the cosmic star formation history.