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Shurakov, A., Seliverstov, S., Kaurova, N., Finkel, M., Voronov, B., & Goltsman, G. (2012). Input bandwidth of hot electron bolometer with spiral antenna. IEEE Trans. THz Sci. Technol., 2(4), 400–405.
Abstract: We report the results of our study of the input bandwidth of hot electron bolometers (HEB) embedded into the planar log-spiral antenna. The sensitive element is made of the ultrathin superconducting NbN film patterned as a bridge at the feed of the antenna. The contacts between the antenna and a sensitive element are made from in situ deposited gold (i.e., deposited over NbN film without breaking vacuum), which gives high quality contacts and makes the response of the HEB at higher frequencies less affected by the RF loss. An accurate experimental spectroscopic procedure is demonstrated that leads to the confirmation of the wide ( 8 THz) bandwidth in this antenna coupled device.
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Meledin, D., Pavolotsky, A., Desmaris, V., Lapkin, I., Risacher, C., Perez, V., et al. (2009). A 1.3-THz balanced waveguide HEB mixer for the APEX telescope. IEEE Trans. Microw. Theory Techn., 57(1), 89–98.
Abstract: In this paper, we report about the development, fabrication, and characterization of a balanced waveguide hot electron bolometer (HEB) receiver for the Atacama Pathfinder EXperiment telescope covering the frequency band of 1.25–1.39 THz. The receiver uses a quadrature balanced scheme and two HEB mixers, fabricated from 4- to 5-nm-thick NbN film deposited on crystalline quartz substrate with an MgO buffer layer in between. We employed a novel micromachining method to produce all-metal waveguide parts at submicrometer accuracy (the main-mode waveguide dimensions are 90×180 μm). We present details on the mixer design and measurement results, including receiver noise performance, stability and “first-light†at the telescope site. The receiver yields a double-sideband noise temperature averaged over the RF band below 1200 K, and outstanding stability with a spectroscopic Allan time more than 200 s.
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Cherednichenko, S., Drakinskiy, V., Berg, T., Kollberg, E. L., & Angelov, I. (2007). The direct detection effect in the hot-electron bolometer mixer sensitivity calibration. IEEE Trans. Microw. Theory Techn., 55(3), 504–510.
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Semenov, A. D., Richter, H., Hubers, H. - W., Gunther, B., Smirnov, A., Il'in, K. S., et al. (2007). Terahertz performance of integrated lens antennas with a hot-electron bolometer. IEEE Trans. Microw. Theory Techn., 55(2), 239–247.
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Jiang, L., Miao, W., Zhang, W., Li, N., Lin, Z. H., Yao, Q. J., et al. (2006). Characterization of a quasi-optical NbN superconducting HEB mixer. IEEE Trans. Microwave Theory Techn., 54(7), 2944–2948.
Abstract: In this paper, the performance of a quasi-optical NbN superconducting hot-electron bolometer (HEB) mixer, cryogenically cooled by a close-cycled 4-K refrigerator, is thoroughly investigated at 300, 500, and 850 GHz. The lowest receiver noise temperatures measured at the respective three frequencies are 1400, 900, and 1350 K, which can go down to 659, 413, and 529 K, respectively, after correcting the loss and associated noise contribution of the quasi-optical system before the measured superconducting HEB mixer. The stability of the quasi-optical superconducting HEB mixer is also investigated here. The Allan variance time measured with a local oscillator pumping at 500 GHz and an IF bandwidth of 110 MHz is 1.5 s at the dc-bias voltage exhibiting the lowest noise temperature and increases to 2.5 s at a dc bias twice that voltage.
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Meledin, D. V., Marrone, D. P., Tong, C. - Y. E., Gibson, H., Blundell, R., Paine, S. N., et al. (2004). A 1-THz superconducting hot-electron-bolometer receiver for astronomical observations. IEEE Trans. Microwave Theory Techn., 52(10), 2338–2343.
Abstract: In this paper, we describe a superconducting hot-electron-bolometer mixer receiver developed to operate in atmospheric windows between 800-1300 GHz. The receiver uses a waveguide mixer element made of 3-4-nm-thick NbN film deposited over crystalline quartz. This mixer yields double-sideband receiver noise temperatures of 1000 K at around 1.0 THz, and 1600 K at 1.26 THz, at an IF of 3.0 GHz. The receiver was successfully tested in the laboratory using a gas cell as a spectral line test source. It is now in use on the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory terahertz test telescope in northern Chile.
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Yagoubov, P., Kroug, M., Merkel, H., Kollberg, E., Schubert, J., Hubers, H. - W., et al. (1998). Performance of NbN phonon-cooled hot-electron bolometric mixer at Terahertz frequencies. In Proc. 6-th Int. Conf. Terahertz Electron. (pp. 149–152).
Abstract: The performance of a NbN based phonon-cooled Hot Electron Bolometric (HEB) quasioptical mixer is investigated in the 0.65-3.12 THz frequency range. The device is made from a 3 nm thick NbN film on high resistivity Si and integrated with a planar spiral antenna on the same substrate. The in-plane dimensions of the bolometer strip are 0.2/spl times/2 /spl mu/m. The results of the DSB noire temperature are: 1300 K at 650 GHz, 4700 K at 2.5 TBz and 10000 K at 3.12 THz. The RF bandwidth of the receiver is at least 2.5 THz. The amount of LO power absorbed in the bolometer is about 100 nW. The mixer is linear to within 1 dB compression up to the signal level 10 dB below that of the LO. The intrinsic single sideband conversion gain is measured to be -9 dB, the total conversion gain -14 dB.
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Blundell, R., Kawamura, J. H., Tong, C. E., Papa, D. C., Hunter, T. R., Gol’tsman, G. N., et al. (1998). A hot-electron bolometer mixer receiver for the 680-830 GHz frequency range. In Proc. 6-th Int. Conf. Terahertz Electron. (pp. 18–20). IEEE.
Abstract: We describe a heterodyne receiver designed to operate in the partially transparent atmospheric windows centered on 680 and 830 GHz. The receiver incorporates a niobium nitride thin film, cooled to 4.2 K, as the phonon-cooled hot-electron mixer element. The double sideband receiver noise, measured over the frequency range 680-830 GHz, is typically 700-1300 K. The instantaneous output bandwidth of the receiver is 600 MHz. This receiver has recently been used at the SubMillimeter Telescope, jointly operated by the Steward Observatory and the Max Planck Institute for Radioastronomy, for observations of the neutral carbon and CO spectral lines at 810 GHz and at 806 and 691 GHz respectively. Laboratory measurements on a second mixer in the same test receiver have yielded extended high frequency performance to 1 THz.
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Trifonov, A., Tong, C. - Y. E., Grimes, P., Lobanov, Y., Kaurova, N., Blundell, R., et al. (2017). Development of A Silicon Membrane-based Multi-pixel Hot Electron Bolometer Receiver. In IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond. (Vol. 27, 6).
Abstract: We report on the development of a multi-pixel
Hot Electron Bolometer (HEB) receiver fabricated using
silicon membrane technology. The receiver comprises a
2 × 2 array of four HEB mixers, fabricated on a single
chip. The HEB mixer chip is based on a superconducting
NbN thin film deposited on top of the silicon-on-insulator
(SOI) substrate. The thicknesses of the device layer and
handling layer of the SOI substrate are 20 μm and 300 μm
respectively. The thickness of the device layer is chosen
such that it corresponds to a quarter-wave in silicon at
1.35 THz. The HEB mixer is integrated with a bow-tie
antenna structure, in turn designed for coupling to a
circular waveguide,
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Trifonov, A., Tong, C. - Y. E., Grimes, P., Lobanov, Y., Kaurova, N., Blundell, R., et al. (2017). Development of a silicon membrane-based multipixel hot electron bolometer receiver. IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond., 27(4), 1–5.
Abstract: We report on the development of a multipixel hot electron bolometer (HEB) receiver fabricated using silicon membrane technology. The receiver comprises a 2 × 2 array of four HEB mixers, fabricated on a single chip. The HEB mixer chip is based on a superconducting NbN thin-film deposited on top of the silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrate. The thicknesses of the device layer and handling layer of the SOI substrate are 20 and 300 μm, respectively. The thickness of the device layer is chosen such that it corresponds to a quarter-wave in silicon at 1.35 THz. The HEB mixer is integrated with a bow-tie antenna structure, in turn designed for coupling to a circular waveguide, fed by a monolithic drilled smooth-walled horn array.
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