Rasulova, G. K., Brunkov, P. N., Pentin, I. V., Egorov, A. Y., Knyazev, D. A., Andrianov, A. V., et al. (2012). A weakly coupled semiconductor superlattice as a potential for a radio frequency modulated terahertz light emitter. Appl. Phys. Lett., 100(13), 131104 (1 to 4).
Abstract: The bolometer response to THz radiation from a weakly coupled GaAs/AlGaAs superlattice biased in the self-oscillations regime has been observed. The bolometer signal is modulated with the frequency equal to the fundamental frequency of superlattice self-oscillations. The frequency spectrum of the bolometer signal contains higher harmonics whose frequency is a multiple of fundamental frequency of self-oscillations.
This work was supported by State Contracts Nos. 16.740.11.0044 and 16.552.11.7002 of Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation. Structural characterization was made on the equipment of the Joint Research Centre «Material science and characterization in advanced technology» (Ioffe Institute, St. Petersburg, Russia).
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Zhang, J., Słysz, W., Pearlman, A., Verevkin, A., Sobolewski, R., Okunev, O., et al. (2003). Time delay of resistive-state formation in superconducting stripes excited by single optical photons. Phys. Rev. B, 67(13), 132508 (1 to 4).
Abstract: We have observed a 65(±5)-ps time delay in the onset of a resistive-state formation in 10-nm-thick, 130-nm-wide NbN superconducting stripes exposed to single photons. The delay in the photoresponse decreased to zero when the stripe was irradiated by multi-photon (classical) optical pulses. Our NbN structures were kept at 4.2 K, well below the material’s critical temperature, and were illuminated by 100-fs-wide optical pulses. The time-delay phenomenon has been explained within the framework of a model based on photon-induced generation of a hotspot in the superconducting stripe and subsequent, supercurrent-assisted, resistive-state formation across the entire stripe cross section. The measured time delays in both the single-photon and two-photon detection regimes agree well with theoretical predictions of the resistive-state dynamics in one-dimensional superconducting stripes.
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Sergeev, A. V., Semenov, A. D., Kouminov, P., Trifonov, V., Goghidze, I. G., Karasik, B. S., et al. (1994). Transparency of a YBa2Cu3O7-film/substrate interface for thermal phonons measured by means of voltage response to radiation. Phys. Rev. B Condens. Matter., 49(13), 9091–9096.
Abstract: The transparency of a film/substrate interface for thermal phonons was investigated for YBa2Cu3O7 thin films deposited on MgO, Al2O3, LaAlO3, NdGaO3, and ZrO2 substrates. Both voltage response to pulsed-visible and to continuously modulated far-infrared radiation show two regimes of heat escape from the film to the substrate. That one dominated by the thermal boundary resistance at the film/substrate interface provides an initial exponential decay of the response. The other one prevailing at longer times or smaller modulation frequencies causes much slower decay and is governed by phonon diffusion in the substrate. The transparency of the boundary for phonons incident from the film on the substrate and also from the substrate on the film was determined separately from the characteristic time of the exponential decay and from the time at which one regime was changed to the other. Taking into account the specific heat of optical phonons and the temperature dependence of the group velocity of acoustic phonons, we show that the body of experimental data agrees with acoustic mismatch theory rather than with the model that assumes strong diffusive scattering of phonons at the interface.
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Gershenzon, E. M., Gol’tsman, G. N., Gousev, Y. P., Elant’ev, A. I., & Semenov, A. D. (1991). Electromagnetic radiation mixer based on electron heating in resistive state of superconductive Nb and YBaCuO films. IEEE Trans. Magn., 27(2), 1317–1320.
Abstract: A theory of an electron-heating mixer which makes it possible to calculate all the characteristics of the device is developed. It is shown that positive conversion gain is possible for such a mixer in the millimeter to near-infrared wavelength range. The dynamic range and the optimum heterodyne power can be selected from a very wide interval by varying the mixing element volume. Measurements made for Nb within the frequency range of 120-750 GHz confirm the theory. The conversion loss obtained at T=1.6 K and normalized to the element reaches 0.3 dB in the intermediate frequency band of 40 MHz; the possible noise temperature is 50 K. The estimation of noise temperature and output band for YBaCuO at T=77 yields 200 K and more than 10 GHz, respectively.
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Tuchak, A. N., Gol’tsman, G. N., Kitaeva, G. K., Penin, A. N., Seliverstov, S. V., Finkel, M. I., et al. (2012). Generation of nanosecond terahertz pulses by the optical rectification method. JETP Lett., 96(2), 94–97.
Abstract: The possibility of the generation of quasi-cw terahertz radiation by the optical rectification method for broad-band Fourier unlimited nanosecond laser pulses has been experimentally demonstrated. The broadband radiation of a LiF dye-center laser is used as a pump source of a nonlinear optical oscillator. The energy efficiency of terahertz optical frequency conversion in a periodically polarized lithium niobate crystal is 4 × 10−9 at a pump power density of 7 MW/cm2.
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Gol’tsman, G. N., Smirnov, K., Kouminov, P., Voronov, B., Kaurova, N., Drakinsky, V., et al. (2003). Fabrication of nanostructured superconducting single-photon detectors. IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond., 13(2), 192–195.
Abstract: Fabrication of NbN superconducting single-photon detectors, based on the hotspot effect is presented. The hotspot formation arises in an ultrathin and submicrometer-width superconductor stripe and, together with the supercurrent redistribution, leads to the resistive detector response upon absorption of a photon. The detector has a meander structure to maximally increase its active area and reach the highest detection efficiency. Main processing steps, leading to efficient devices, sensitive in 0.4-5 /spl mu/m wavelength range, are presented. The impact of various processing steps on the performance and operational parameters of our detectors is discussed.
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Semenov, A. D., Gousev, Y. P., Nebosis, R. S., Renk, K. F., Yagoubov, P., Voronov, B. M., et al. (1996). Heterodyne detection of THz radiation with a superconducting hot‐electron bolometer mixer. Appl. Phys. Lett., 69(2), 260–262.
Abstract: We report on the use of a superconducting hot‐electron bolometer mixer for heterodyne detection of terahertz radiation. Radiation with a wavelength of 119 μm was coupled to the mixer, a NbN microbridge, by a hybrid quasioptical antenna consisting of an extended hyperhemispherical lens and a planar logarithmic spiral antenna. We found, at an intermediate frequency of 1.5 GHz, a system double side band noise temperature of ≊40 000 K and conversion losses of 25 dB. We also discuss the possibilities of further improvement of the mixer performance.
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Gershenzon, E. M., Gol’tsman, G. N., Semenov, A. D., & Sergeev, A. V. (1991). Mechanism of picosecond response of granular YBaCuO films to electromagnetic radiation. IEEE Trans. Magn., 27(2), 1321–1324.
Abstract: Ultrafast mechanisms of radiation detection in granular YBaCuO films are studied in the wide wavelength range from millimeter waves to near infrared. With an increase in radiation frequency, the Josephson detection at the grain-boundary weak links is replaced by electron heating into the grains. This change occurs in the submillimeter wavelength range. The electron-phonon relaxation time tau /sub eph/ is determined from direct measurements, quasi-stationary electron heating measurements, and the frequency dependence of the current at which maximum voltage shift is observed. The temperature dependence of tau /sub eph/ at T<or=40 K was found to be tau /sub eph/ approximately T/sup -1/. The results show that detectors with a response time of a few picoseconds at nitrogen temperature are attainable.
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Gershenzon, E. M., Gol’tsman, G. N., Dzardanov, A. L., & Zorin, M. A. (1991). Ultrafast superconductive switch. IEEE Trans. Magn., 27(2), 2844–2846.
Abstract: The transition from superconductive to resistive state caused by infrared radiation and bias current pulses was investigated in order to minimize switching time tau and driving power W. Experimental results for Nb microstrips confirm the correctness of calculations based on the model of electron heating. For Nb switches, tau measured directly is 0.3-0.8 ns for radiation pulses and 1-3 ns for bias current pulses at T=4.2 K, while for YBaCuO switches at T=77 K it is expected to be several picoseconds. For an YBaCuO sample with the dimensions of 5*2*0.15 mu m/sup 2/, W was 10 mW, and it can be further reduced to the order of several microwatts by decreasing the volume of the sample.
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Lindgren, M., Trifonov, V., Zorin, M., Danerud, M., Winkler, D., Karasik, B. S., et al. (1994). Transient resistive photoresponse of YBa2Cu3O7−δ films using low power 0.8 and 10.6 μm laser radiation. Appl. Phys. Lett., 64(22), 3036–3038.
Abstract: Thin YBa2Cu3O7−δ laser deposited films were patterned into devices consisting of ten parallel 1 μm wide strips. Nonequilibrium picosecond and bolometric photoresponses were studied by the use of 17 ps full width at half‐maximum laser pulses and amplitude modulated radiation from an AlGaAs laser up to 10 GHz and from a CO2 laser up to 1 GHz. The time and frequency domain measurements were in agreement. The fast response can be explained by electron heating. The use of low optical power and a sensitive measurement system excluded any nonlinear transient processes and kinetic inductance changes in the superconducting state. At 1 GHz modulation frequency, the responsivity was ∼1.2 V/W both for 0.8 and 10.6 μm wavelengths. The sensitivity of a fast and spectrally broadband infrared detector is discussed.
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Il’in, K. S., Milostnaya, I. I., Verevkin, A. A., Gol’tsman, G. N., Gershenzon, E. M., & Sobolewski, R. (1998). Ultimate quantum efficiency of a superconducting hot-electron photodetector. Appl. Phys. Lett., 73(26), 3938–3940.
Abstract: The quantum efficiency and current and voltage responsivities of fast hot-electron photodetectors, fabricated from superconducting NbN thin films and biased in the resistive state, have been shown to reach values of 340, 220 A/W, and 4×104 V/W,
respectively, for infrared radiation with a wavelength of 0.79 μm. The characteristics of the photodetectors are presented within the general model, based on relaxation processes in the nonequilibrium electron heating of a superconducting thin film. The observed, very high efficiency and sensitivity of the superconductor absorbing the photon are explained by the high multiplication rate of quasiparticles during the avalanche breaking of Cooper pairs.
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Zinoni, C., Alloing, B., Li, L. H., Marsili, F., Fiore, A., Lunghi, L., et al. (2007). Single-photon experiments at telecommunication wavelengths using nanowire superconducting detectors. Appl. Phys. Lett., 91(3), 031106 (1 to 3).
Abstract: The authors report fiber-coupled superconducting single-photon detectors with specifications that exceed those of avalanche photodiodes, operating at telecommunication wavelength, in sensitivity, temporal resolution, and repetition frequency. The improved performance is demonstrated by measuring the intensity correlation function g(2)(τ) of single-photon states at 1300nm produced by single semiconductor quantum dots.
This work was supported by Swiss National Foundation through the “Professeur borsier” and NCCR Quantum Photonics program, FP6 STREP “SINPHONIA” (Contract No. NMP4-CT-2005-16433), IP “QAP” (Contract No. 15848), NOE “ePIXnet,” and the Italian MIUR-FIRB program.
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Danerud, M., Winkler, D., Lindgren, M., Zorin, M., Trifonov, V., Karasik, B. S., et al. (1994). Nonequilibrium and bolometric photoresponse in patterned YBa2Cu3O7−δ thin films. J. Appl. Phys., 76(3), 1902–1909.
Abstract: Epitaxial laser deposited YBa2Cu3O7−δ films of ∼50 nm thickness were patterned into detectors consisting of ten parallel 1 μm wide strips in order to study nonequilibrium and bolometric effects. Typically, the patterned samples had critical temperatures around 86 K, transition widths around 2 K and critical current densities above 1×106A/cm2 at 77 K. Pulsed laser measurements at 0.8 μm wavelength (17 ps full width at half maximum) showed a ∼30 ps response, attributed to electron heating, followed by a slower bolometric decay. Amplitude modulation in the band fmod=100 kHz–10 GHz of a laser with wavelength λ=0.8 μm showed two different thermal relaxations in the photoresponse. Phonon escape from the film (∼3 ns) is the limiting process, followed by heat diffusion in the substrate. Similar relaxations were also seen for λ=10.6 μm. The photoresponse measurements were made with the film in the resistive state and extended into the normal state. These states were created by supercritical bias currents. Measurements between 75 and 95 K (i.e., from below to above Tc) showed that the photoresponse was proportional to dR/dT for fmod=1 MHz and 4 GHz. The fast response is limited by the electron‐phonon scattering time, estimated to 1.8 ps from experimental data. The responsivity both at 0.8 and 10.6 μm wavelength was ∼1.2 V/W at fmod=1 GHz and the noise equivalent power was calculated to 1.5×10−9 WHz−1/2 for the fast response.
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Yang, Z. Q., Hajenius, M., Baselmans, J. J. A., Gao, J. R., Voronov, B., & Gol’tsman, G. N. (2006). Reduced noise in NbN hot-electron bolometer mixers by annealing. Supercond. Sci. Technol., 19(4), L (9 to 12).
Abstract: We find that the sensitivity of heterodyne receivers based on superconducting hot-electron bolometers (HEBs) increases by 25–30% after annealing at 85 °C in vacuum. The devices studied are twin-slot antenna coupled mixers with a small NbN bridge of 1 × 0.15 µm2. We show that annealing changes the device properties as reflected in sharper resistive transitions of the complete device, apparently reducing the device-related noise. The lowest receiver noise temperature of 700 K is measured at a local oscillator frequency of 1.63 THz and a bath temperature of 4.3 K.
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Verevkin, A. A., Ptitsina, N. G., Smirnov, K. V., Voronov, B. M., Gol’tsman, G. N., Gershenson, E. M., et al. (1999). Multiple Andreev reflection in hybrid AlGaAs/GaAs structures with superconducting NbN contacts. Semicond., 33(5), 551–554.
Abstract: The conductivity of hybrid microstructures with superconducting contacts made of niobium nitride to a semiconductor with a two-dimensional electron gas in a AlGaAs/GaAs heterostructure has been investigated. Distinctive features of the behavior of the conductivity indicate the presence of multiple Andreev reflection at scattering centers in the normal region near the superconductor-semiconductor boundary.
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