  Microwave Kinetic Inductance Detectors (MKIDs) are highly scalable detectors
that have demonstrated nearly background-limited sensitivity in the
far-infrared from high-altitude balloon-borne telescopes and space-like
laboratory environments. In addition, the detectors have a rich design space
with many optimizable parameters, allowing highly sensitive measurements over a
wide dynamic range. For these reasons, MKIDs were chosen for the Experiment for
Cryogenic Large-Aperture Intensity Mapping (EXCLAIM), a balloon-borne telescope
targeting nearly background-limited performance in a high-altitude atmospheric
environment from 420-540 GHz. We describe MKID optimization in the specific
context of EXCLAIM and provide general results that apply to broader
applications. Extending the established approach of tone frequency tracking, we
show that readout power optimization enables significant, further improvement
in dynamic range.
