Svechnikov, S., Gol'tsman, G., Voronov, B., Yagoubov, P., Cherednichenko, S., Gershenzon, E., et al. (1997). Spiral antenna NbN hot-electron bolometer mixer at submm frequencies. IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond., 7(2), 3395–3398.
Abstract: We have studied the phonon-cooled hot-electron bolometer (HEB) as a quasioptical mixer based on a spiral antenna designed for the 0.3-1 THz frequency band and fabricated on sapphire and high resistivity silicon substrates. HEB devices were produced from superconducting 3.5-5 nm thick NbN films with a critical temperature 10-12 K and a critical current density of approximately 10/sup 7/ A/cm/sup 2/ at 4.2 K. For these devices we reached a DSB receiver noise temperature below 1500 K, a total conversion loss of L/sub t/=16 dB in the 500-700 GHz frequency range, an IF bandwidth of 3-4 GHz and an optimal LO absorbed power of /spl sime/4 /spl mu/W. We experimentally analyzed various contributions to the conversion loss and obtained an RF coupling factor of about 5 dB, internal mixer loss of 10 dB and IF mismatch of 1 dB.
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Karasik, B. S., Gol'tsman, G. N., Voronov, B. M., Svechnikov, S. I., Gershenzon, E. M., Ekstrom, H., et al. (1995). Hot electron quasioptical NbN superconducting mixer. IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond., 5(2), 2232–2235.
Abstract: Hot electron superconductor mixer devices made of thin NbN films on SiO/sub 2/-Si/sub 3/N/sub 4/-Si membrane have been fabricated for 300-350 GHz operation. The device consists of 5-10 parallel strips each 5 /spl mu/m long by 1 /spl mu/m wide which are coupled to a tapered slot-line antenna. The I-V characteristics and position of optimum bias point were studied in the temperature range 4.5-8 K. The performance of the mixer at higher temperatures is closer to that predicted by theory for uniform electron heating. The intermediate frequency bandwidth versus bias has also been investigated. At the operating temperature 4.2 K a bandwidth as wide as 0.8 GHz has been measured for a mixer made of 6 nm thick film. The bandwidth tends to increase with operating temperature. The performance of the NbN mixer is expected to be better for higher frequencies where the absorption of radiation should be more uniform.
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Pentin, I. V., Smirnov, A. V., Ryabchun, S. A., Ozhegov, R. V., Gol’tsman, G. N., Vaks, V. L., et al. (2012). Semiconducting superlattice as a solid-state terahertz local oscillator for NbN hot-electron bolometer mixers. Tech. Phys., 57(7), 971–974.
Abstract: We present the results of our studies of the semiconducting superlattice (SSL) frequency multiplier and its application as part of the solid state local oscillator (LO) in the terahertz heterodyne receiver based on a NbN hot-electron bolometer (HEB) mixer. We show that the SSL output power level increases as the ambient temperature is lowered to 4.2 K, the standard HEB operation temperature.
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Tret’yakov, I. V., Ryabchun, S. A., Kaurova, N. S., Larionov, P. A., Lobastova, A. A., Voronov, B. M., et al. (2010). Optimum absorbed heterodyne power for superconducting NbN hot-electron bolometer mixer. Tech. Phys. Lett., 36(12), 1103–1105.
Abstract: Absorbed heterodyne power has been measured in a low-noise broadband hot-electron bolometer (HEB) mixer for the terahertz range, operating on the effect of electron heating in the resistive state of an ultrathin superconducting NbN film. It is established that the optimum absorbed heterodyne power for the HEB mixer operating at 2.5 THz is about 100 nW.
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Vakhtomin, Y. B., Finkel, M. I., Antipov, S. V., Smirnov, K. V., Kaurova, N. S., Drakinskii, V. N., et al. (2003). The gain bandwidth of mixers based on the electron heating effect in an ultrathin NbN film on a Si substrate with a buffer MgO layer. J. of communications technol. & electronics, 48(6), 671–675.
Abstract: Measurements of the intermediate frequency band 900 GHz of mixers based on the electron heating effect (EHE) in 2-nm- and 3.5-nm-thick superconducting NbN films sputtered on MgO and Si substrates with buffer MgO layers are presented. A 2-nm-thick superconducting NbN film with a critical temperature of 9.2 K has been obtained for the first time using a buffer MgO layer.
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Antipov, S. V., Svechnikov, S. I., Smirnov, K. V., Vakhtomin, Y. B., Finkel, M. I., Goltsman, G. N., et al. (2001). Noise temperature of quasioptical NbN hot electron bolometer mixers at 900 GHz. Physics of Vibrations, 9(4), 242–245.
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Svechnikov, S. I., Antipov, S. V., Vakhtomin, Y. B., Goltsman, G. N., Gershenzon, E. M., Cherednichenko, S. I., et al. (2001). Conversion and noise bandwidths of terahertz NbN hot-electron bolometer mixers. Physics of Vibrations, 9(3), 205–210.
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Hübers, H. - W., Schubert, J., Krabbe, A., Birk, M., Wagner, G., Semenov, A., et al. (2001). Parylene anti-reflection coating of a quasi-optical hot-electron-bolometric mixer at terahertz frequencies. Infrared Physics & Technology, 42(1), 41–47.
Abstract: Parylene C was investigated as anti-reflection coating for silicon at terahertz frequencies. Measurements with a Fourier-transform spectrometer show that the transmittance of pure silicon can be improved by about 30% when applying a layer of Parylene C with a quarter wavelength optical thickness. The 10% bandwidth of this coating extends from 1.5 to 3 THz for a center frequency of 2.3–2.5 THz, where the transmittance is constant. Heterodyne measurements demonstrate that the noise temperature of a hot-electron-bolometric mixer can be reduced significantly by coating the silicon lens of the hybrid antenna with a quarter wavelength Parylene C layer. Compared to the same mixer with an uncoated lens the improvement is about 30% at a frequency of 2.5 THz.
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Gol'tsman, G. N. (1999). Hot electron bolometric mixers: new terahertz technology. Infrared Physics & Technology, 40(3), 199–206.
Abstract: This paper presents an overview of recent results for NbN phonon-cooled hot electron bolometric (HEB) mixers. The noise temperature of the receivers based on both quasioptical and waveguide versions of HEB mixers has crossed the level of 1 K GHz−1 at 430 GHz (410 K), 600–650 GHz (480 K), 750 GHz (600 K), 810 GHz (780 K) and is close to that level at 1.1 THz (1250 K) and 2.5 THz (4500 K). The gain bandwidth measured for quasioptical HEB mixer at 620 GHz reached 4 GHz and the noise temperature bandwidth was almost 8 GHz. Local oscillator power requirements are about 1 μW for mixers made by photolithography and about 100 nW for mixers made by e-beam lithography. A waveguide version of 800 GHz receiver was installed at the Submillimeter Telescope Observatory on Mt. Graham, AZ, to conduct astronomical observations of known submillimeter lines (CO, J=7→6, CI, J=2→1). It was proved that the receiver works as a practical instrument.
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Meledin, D., Tong, C. - Y. E., Blundell, R., & Goltsman, G. (2003). Measurement of intermediate frequency bandwidth of hot electron bolometer mixers at terahertz frequency range. IEEE Microw. Wireless Compon. Lett., 13(11), 493–495.
Abstract: We have developed a new experimental setup for measuring the IF bandwidth of superconducting hot electron bolometer mixers. In our measurement system we use a chopped hot filament as a broadband signal source, and can perform a high-speed IF scan with no loss of accuracy when compared to coherent methods. Using this technique we have measured the 3 dB IF bandwidth of hot electron bolometer mixers, designed for THz frequency operation, and made from 3-4 nm thick NbN film deposited on an MgO buffer layer over crystalline quartz.
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