The first demonstrations of the superconducting transition's measurement potential appeared in the 1940s, thirty30 years after [[Heike Kamerlingh Onnes|Onnes]]'s discovery of [[superconductivity]]. D. H. Andrews demonstrated the first transition-edge [[bolometer]], a current-biased [[tantalum]] wire which he used to measure an infrared signal. Subsequently he demonstrated a transition-edge [[Calorimeter (particle physics)|calorimeter]] made of [[niobium nitride]] which was used to measure [[alpha particles]].<ref>D. H. Andrews ''et al.'', "Attenuated superconductors I. For measuring infra-red radiation.". ''Rev. Sci. Instrum.'', '''13''', 281 (1942), {{doi|10.1063/1.1770037}}.</ref> However, the TES detector did not gain popularity for about 50 years, due primarily to the difficulty of signal readout from such a low-[[Electrical impedance|impedance]] system. A second obstacle to the adoption of TES detectors was in achieving stable operation in the narrow superconducting transition region. [[Joule heating]] in a current-biased TES can lead to thermal runaway that drives the detector into the normal (non-superconducting) state, a phenomenon known as positive [[electrothermal feedback]]. The thermal runaway problem was solved in 1995 by K. D. Irwin by voltage-biasing the TES, establishing stable negative [[electrothermal feedback]], and coupling them to superconducting quantum interference devices ([[SQUID]]) current amplifiers.<ref>K. D. Irwin, "An application of electrothermal feedback for high resolution cryogenic particle detection.". “Appl''Appl. Phys. Lett.'', '''66''', 1998 (1995), {{doi|10.1063/1.113674}}.</ref> This breakthrough has led to widespread adoption of TES detectors.<ref name="IrwinHilton">K. D. Irwin and G. C. Hilton, "Transition-edge sensors,", ''Cryogenic Particle Detection'', ed. C. Enss, Springer (2005), {{doi|10.1007/10933596_3}}.</ref>
