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Kroug, M., Yagoubov, P., Gol'tsman, G., & Kollberg, E. (1997). NbN quasioptical phonon cooled hot electron bolometric mixers at THz frequencies. In Inst. Phys. Conf. Ser. (Vol. 1, pp. 405–408). Bristol.
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Semenov, A. D., Hübers, H. - W., Richter, H., Birk, M., Krocka, M., Mair, U., et al. (2002). 2.5 THz heterodyne receiver with NbN hot-electron-bolometer mixer. Phys. C: Supercond., 372-376, 448–453.
Abstract: We describe a 2.5 THz heterodyne receiver for applications in astronomy and atmospheric research. The receiver employs a superconducting NbN phonon-cooled hot-electron-bolometer mixer and an optically pumped far-infrared gas laser as local oscillator. 2200 K double sideband mixer noise temperature was measured at 2.5 THz across a 1 GHz intermediate frequency bandwidth centred at 1.5 GHz. The total conversion losses were 17 dB. The mixer response was linear at load temperatures smaller than 400 K. The receiver was tested in the laboratory environment by measuring the methanol line in emission. Observed pressure broadening confirms the true heterodyne detection regime of the mixer.
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Cherednichenko, S., Kroug, M., Merkel, H., Khosropanah, P., Adam, A., Kollberg, E., et al. (2002). 1.6 THz heterodyne receiver for the far infrared space telescope. Phys. C: Supercond., 372-376, 427–431.
Abstract: A low noise heterodyne receiver is being developed for the terahertz range using a phonon-cooled hot-electron bolometric mixer based on 3.5 nm thick superconducting NbN film. In the 1–2 GHz intermediate frequency band the double-sideband receiver noise temperature was 450 K at 0.6 THz, 700 K at 1.6 THz and 1100 K at 2.5 THz. In the 3–8 GHz IF band the lowest receiver noise temperature was 700 K at 0.6 THz, 1500 K at 1.6 THz and 3000 K at 2.5 THz while it increased by a factor of 3 towards 8 GHz.
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Gol'tsman, G., Maslennikov, S., Finkel, M., Antipov, S., Kaurova, N., Grishina, E., et al. (2006). Nanostructured ultrathin NbN film as a terahertz hot-electron bolometer mixer. In Proc. MRS (Vol. 935, 210 (1 to 6)).
Abstract: Planar spiral antenna coupled and directly lens coupled NbN HEB mixer structures are studied. An additional MgO buffer layer between the superconducting film and Si substrate is introduced. The buffer layer enables us to increase the gain bandwidth of a HEB mixer due to better acoustic transparency. The gain bandwidth is widened as NbN film thickness decreases and amounts to 5.2 GHz. The noise temperature of antenna coupled mixer is 1300 and 3100 K at 2.5 and 3.8 THz respectively. The structure and composition of NbN films is investigated by X-ray diffraction spectroscopy methods. Noise performance degradation at LO frequencies more than 3 THz is due to the use of a planar antenna and signal loss in contacts between the antenna and the sensitive NbN bridge. The mixer is reconfigured for operation at higher frequencies in a manner that receiver’s noise temperature is only 2300 K (3 times of quantum limit) at LO frequency of 30 THz.
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Zhang, W., Li, N., Jiang, L., Miao, W., Lin, Z. - H., Yao, Q. - J., et al. (2007). Noise behaviour of a THz superconducting hot-electron bolometer mixer. Chinese Phys. Lett., 24(6), 1778–1781.
Abstract: A quasi-optical superconducting NbN hot-electron bolometer (HEB) mixer is measured in the frequency range of 0.5–2.5 THz for understanding of the frequency dependence of noise temperature of THz coherent detectors. It has been found that noise temperature increasing with frequency is mainly due to the coupling loss between the quasi-optical planar antenna and the superconducting HEB bridge when taking account of non-uniform distribution of high-frequency current. With the coupling loss corrected, the superconducting HEB mixer demonstrates a noise temperature nearly independent of frequency.
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Gol'tsman, G. N., & Loudkov, D. N. (2003). Terahertz superconducting hot-electron bolometer mixers and their application in radio astronomy. Radiophys. Quant. Electron., 46(8/9), 604–617.
Abstract: We review the latest developments, research, and radioastronomy applications of hot-electron bolometer (HEB) mixers operated in the terahertz waveband. The physical principles of operation of terahertz HEB mixers are presented, their manufacturing from ultrathin NbN films, the main HEB-mixer parameters and their measurement techniques are discussed, and practical terahertz radioastronomy projects based on heterodyne receivers with HEB mixers are considered.
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Tretyakov, I. V., Anfertyev, V. A., Revin, L. S., Kaurova, N. S., Voronov, B. M., Vaks, V. L., et al. (2018). Sensitivity and resolution of a heterodyne receiver based on the NbN HEB mixer with a quantum-cascade laser as a local oscillator. Radiophys. Quant. Electron., 60(12), 988–992.
Abstract: We present the results of experimental studies of the basic characteristics and operation features of a terahertz heterodyne detector based on the superconducting NbN HEB mixer and a quantum cascade laser as a local oscillator operating at a frequency of 2.02 THz. The measured noise temperature of such a mixer amounted to 1500 K. The spectral resolution of the detector is determined by the width of the local-oscillator spectral line whose measured value does not exceed 1 MHz. The quantum-cascade laser could be linearly tuned with respect to frequency with the coefficient 7.2 MHz/mA within the limits of the current oscillation bandwidth.
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Seliverstov, S. V., Anfertyev, V. A., Tretyakov, I. V., Ozheredov, I. A., Solyankin, P. M., Revin, L. S., et al. (2017). Terahertz heterodyne receiver with an electron-heating mixer and a heterodyne based on the quantum-cascade laser. Radiophys. Quant. Electron., 60(7), 518–524.
Abstract: We study characteristics of the laboratory prototype of a terahertz heterodyne receiver with an electron-heating mixer and a heterodyne based on the quantum-cascade laser. The results obtained demonstrate the possibility to use this receiver as a basis for creation of a high-sensitivity terahertz spectrometer, which can be used in many basic and practical applications. A significant advantage of this receiver will be the possibility of placing the mixer and heterodyne in the same cryostat, which will reduce the device dimensions considerably. The obtained experimental results are analyzed, and methods of optimizing the parameters of the receiver are proposed.
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Baselmans, J. J. A., Baryshev, A., Reker, S. F., Hajenius, M., Gao, J. R., Klapwijk, T. M., et al. (2006). Influence of the direct response on the heterodyne sensitivity of hot electron bolometer mixers. J. Appl. Phys., 100(8), 084510 (1 to 7).
Abstract: We present a detailed experimental study of the direct detection effect in a small volume (0.15μm×1μm×3.5nm) quasioptical NbN phonon cooled hot electron bolometer mixer at 673GHz. We find that the small signal noise temperature, relevant for an astronomical observation, is 20% lower than the noise temperature obtained using 300 and 77K calibration loads. In a separate set of experiments we show that the direct detection effect is caused by a combination of bias current reduction when switching from the 77 to the 300K
load in combination with the bias current dependence of the receiver gain. The bias current dependence of the receiver gain is shown to be mainly caused by the current dependence of the mixer gain.
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Kooi, J. W., Baselmans, J. J. A., Baryshev, A., Schieder, R., Hajenius, M., Gao, J. R., et al. (2006). Stability of heterodyne terahertz receivers. J. Appl. Phys., 100(6), 064904 (1 to 9).
Abstract: In this paper we discuss the stability of heterodyne terahertz receivers based on small volume NbN phonon cooled hot electron bolometers (HEBs). The stability of these receivers can be broken down in two parts: the intrinsic stability of the HEB mixer and the stability of the local oscillator (LO) signal injection scheme. Measurements show that the HEB mixer stability is limited by gain fluctuations with a 1∕f spectral distribution. In a 60MHz noise bandwidth this results in an Allan variance stability time of ∼0.3s. Measurement of the spectroscopic Allan variance between two intermediate frequency (IF) channels results in a much longer Allan variance stability time, i.e., 3s between a 2.5 and a 4.7GHz channel, and even longer for more closely spaced channels. This implies that the HEB mixer 1∕f noise is strongly correlated across the IF band and that the correlation gets stronger the closer the IF channels are spaced. In the second part of the paper we discuss atmospheric and mechanical system stability requirements on the LO-mixer cavity path length. We calculate the mixer output noise fluctuations as a result of small perturbations of the LO-mixer standing wave, and find very stringent mechanical and atmospheric tolerance requirements for receivers operating at terahertz frequencies.
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