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Author Pütz, P.; Honingh, C. E.; Jacobs, K.; Justen, M.; Schultz, M.; Stutzki, J.
Title Terahertz hot electron bolometer waveguide mixers for GREAT Type Journal Article
Year 2012 Publication Astron. Astrophys. Abbreviated Journal (up) A&A
Volume 542 Issue Pages L2
Keywords HEB mixer, applications
Abstract Context. Supplementing the publications based on the first-light observations with the German REceiver for Astronomy at Terahertz frequencies (GREAT) on SOFIA, we present background information on the underlying heterodyne detector technology. This Letter complements the GREAT instrument Letter and focuses on the mixers itself.

Aims. We describe the superconducting hot electron bolometer (HEB) detectors that are used as frequency mixers in the L1 (1400 GHz), L2 (1900 GHz), and M (2500 GHz) channels of GREAT. Measured performance of the detectors is presented and background information on their operation in GREAT is given.

Methods. Our mixer units are waveguide-based and couple to free-space radiation via a feedhorn antenna. The HEB mixers are designed, fabricated, characterized, and flight-qualified in-house. We are able to use the full intermediate frequency bandwidth of the mixers using silicon-germanium multi-octave cryogenic low-noise amplifiers with very low input return loss.

Results. Superconducting HEB mixers have proven to be practical and sensitive detectors for high-resolution THz frequency spectroscopy on SOFIA. We show that our niobium-titanium-nitride (NbTiN) material HEBs on silicon nitride (SiN) membrane substrates have an intermediate frequency (IF) noise roll-off frequency above 2.8 GHz, which does not limit the current receiver IF bandwidth. Our mixer technology development efforts culminate in the first successful operation of a waveguide-based HEB mixer at 2.5 THz and deployment for radioastronomy. A significant contribution to the success of GREAT is made by technological development, thorough characterization and performance optimization of the mixer and its IF interface for receiver operation on SOFIA. In particular, the development of an optimized mixer IF interface contributes to the low passband ripple and excellent stability, which GREAT demonstrated during its initial successful astronomical observation runs.
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Notes Approved no
Call Number Serial 907
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Author Rasulova, G. K.; Pentin, I. V.; Goltsman, G. N.
Title Terahertz emission from a weakly-coupled GaAs/AlGaAs superlattice biased into three different modes of current self-oscillations Type Journal Article
Year 2019 Publication AIP Advances Abbreviated Journal (up) AIP Advances
Volume 9 Issue 10 Pages 105220
Keywords GaAs/AlGaAs superlattice, SL, NbN HEB
Abstract Radio-frequency modulated terahertz (THz) emission power from weakly-coupled GaAs/AlGaAs superlattice (SL) has been increased by parallel connection of several SL mesas. Each SL mesa is a self-oscillator with its own oscillation frequency and mode. In coupled non-identical SL mesas biased at different voltages within the hysteresis loop the chaotic, quasiperiodic and frequency-locked modes of self-oscillations of current arise. THz emission was detected when three connected in parallel SL mesas were biased into the frequency-locked and quasiperiodic modes of self-oscillations of current, while in the chaotic mode of those it falls to the noise level.
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Language Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 2158-3226 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes Approved no
Call Number Serial 1274
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Author Ren, Y.; Zhang, D. X.; Zhou, K. M.; Miao, W.; Zhang, W.; Shi, S. C.; Seleznev, V.; Pentin, I.; Vakhtomin, Y.; Smirnov, K.
Title 10.6 μm heterodyne receiver based on a superconducting hot-electron bolometer mixer and a quantum cascade laser Type Journal Article
Year 2019 Publication AIP Advances Abbreviated Journal (up) AIP Advances
Volume 9 Issue 7 Pages 075307
Keywords NbN HEB mixers, QCL, IR
Abstract We report on the development of a heterodyne receiver at mid-infrared wavelength for high-resolution spectroscopy applications. The receiver employs a superconducting NbN hot electron bolometer as a mixer and a room temperature distributed feedback quantum cascade laser operating at 10.6 μm (28.2 THz) as a local oscillator. The stabilization of the heterodyne receiver has been achieved using a feedback loop controlling the output power of the laser. Improved Allan variance times as well as a double sideband receiver noise temperature of 5000 K and a noise bandwidth of 2.8 GHz of the receiver system are demonstrated.

The work is supported in part by the National Key R&D Program of China under Grant 2018YFA0404701, by the CAS program under Grant QYZDJ-SSW-SLH043 and GJJSTD20180003, by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) under Grant 11773083, by the “Hundred Talents Program” of the “Pioneer Initiative”, and in part by the CAS Key Lab for Radio Astronomy.
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Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 2158-3226 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes Approved no
Call Number Serial 1293
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Author Baselmans, J. J. A.; Baryshev, A.; Reker, S. F.; Hajenius, M.; Gao, J. R.; Klapwijk, T. M.; Vahtomin, Yu.; Maslennikov, S.; Antipov, S.; Voronov, B.; Gol'tsman, G.
Title Direct detection effect in small volume hot electron bolometer mixers Type Journal Article
Year 2005 Publication Appl. Phys. Lett. Abbreviated Journal (up) Appl. Phys. Lett.
Volume 86 Issue 16 Pages 163503 (1 to 3)
Keywords HEB, mixer, direct detection effect
Abstract We measure the direct detection effect in a small volume (0.15μm×1μm×3.5nm)(0.15μm×1μm×3.5nm) quasioptical NbN phonon cooled hot electronbolometermixer at 1.6THz1.6THz. We find that the small signal sensitivity of the receiver is underestimated by 35% due to the direct detection effect and that the optimal operating point is shifted to higher bias voltages when using calibration loads of 300K300K and 77K77K. Using a 200GHz200GHzbandpass filter at 4.2K4.2K the direct detection effect virtually disappears. This has important implications for the calibration procedure of these receivers in real telescope systems.
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Notes Approved no
Call Number Serial 377
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Author Prober, D. E.
Title Superconducting terahertz mixer using a transition-edge microbolometer Type Journal Article
Year 1993 Publication Appl. Phys. Lett. Abbreviated Journal (up) Appl. Phys. Lett.
Volume 62 Issue 17 Pages 2119-2121
Keywords HEB mixer, NbN, TES
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Notes Recommended by Klapwijk Approved no
Call Number Serial 244
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