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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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