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Trifonov, A.; Tong, C.-Y. E.; Lobanov, Y.; Kaurova, N.; Blundell, R.; Goltsman, G. |
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Title |
Gap frequency and photon absorption in a hot electron bolometer |
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Conference Article |
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2016 |
Publication |
Proc. 27th Int. Symp. Space Terahertz Technol. |
Abbreviated Journal |
Proc. 27th Int. Symp. Space Terahertz Technol. |
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121 |
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NbN HEB; Si membrane |
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The superconducting energy gap is a crucial parameter of a superconductor when used in mixing applications. In the case of the SIS mixer, the mixing process is efficient for frequencies below the energy gap, whereas, in the case of the HEB mixer, the mixing process is most efficient at frequencies above the gap, where photon absorption takes place more readily. We have investigated the photon absorption phenomenon around the gap frequency of HEB mixers based on NbN films deposited on silicon membranes. Apart from studying the pumped I-V curves of HEB devices, we have also probed them with microwave radiation, as previously described [1]. At frequencies far below the gap frequency, the pumped I-V curves show abrupt switching between the superconducting and resistive states. For the NbN HEB mixers we tested, which have critical temperatures of ~9 K, this is true for frequencies below about 400 GHz. As the pump frequency is increased beyond 400 GHz, the resistive state extends towards zero bias and at some point a small region of negative differential resistance appears close to zero bias. In this region, the microwave probe reveals that the device impedance is changing randomly with time. As the pump frequency is further increased, this random impedance change develops into relaxation oscillations, which can be observed by the demodulation of the reflected microwave probe. Initially, these oscillations take the form of several frequencies grouped together under an envelope. As we approach the gap frequency, the multiple frequency relaxation oscillations coalesce into a single frequency of a few MHz. The resultant square-wave nature of the oscillation is a clear indication that the device is in a bi-stable state, switching between the superconducting and normal state. Above the gap frequency, it is possible to obtain a pumped I-V curve with no negative differential resistance above a threshold pumping level. Below this pumping level, the device demonstrates bi-stability, and regular relaxation oscillation at a few MHz is observed as a function of pump power. The threshold pumping level is clearly related to the amount of power absorbed by the device and its phonon cooling. From the above experiment, we can derive the gap frequency of the NbN film, which is 585 GHz for our 6 μm thin silicon membrane-based device. We also confirm that the HEB mixer is not an efficient photon absorber for radiation below the gap frequency. 1. A. Trifonov et al., “Probing the stability of HEB mixers with microwave injection”, IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond., vol. 25, no. 3, June 2015. |
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1204 |
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Gol’tsman, G. N.; Gershenzon, E. M. |
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Title |
High speed hot-electron superconducting bolometer |
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1993 |
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Proc. SPIE |
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Proc. SPIE |
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2104 |
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181-182 |
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NbN HEb, Nb, Al |
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Physical limitation of response time of a superconducting bolometer as well as the nature of non-equilibrium detection of radiation have been investigated for Al, Nb and NbN thin films in spectral range from submillimeter to near-infraredwavelengths [1,2]. In the case of ideal heat removal from the film with the f_‘. 100A thickness the detection mechanism is an electron heating effect that is not selective to radiation wavelength in a very broad range. The response time ofan electron heating bolometer is determined by an electron-phonon interaction time. This time is of about 10 ns, 0.5 ns and 20 ps for Al, Nb, and NbN correspondingly near the critical temperature of the superconducting film. Thesensitive area of the bolometer consists of a number of narrow strips (with awidth of 1µm) connected in parallel to contact pads; these pads together witha sapphire substrate and a ground plate represent the microstrip transmissionline with an impedance of 50 Q. |
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SPIE |
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Birch, J.R.; Parker, T.J. |
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18th International Conference on Infrared and Millimeter Waves |
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1652 |
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Krause, S.; Mityashkin, V.; Antipov, S.; Gol'tsman, G.; Meledin, D.; Desmaris, V.; Belitsky, V.; Rudzinski, M. |
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Study of IF bandwidth of NbN hot electron bolometers on GaN buffer layer using a direct measurement method |
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2016 |
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Proc. 27th Int. Symp. Space Terahertz Technol. |
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30-32 |
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NbN HEB, GaN buffer layer |
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In this paper, we present a reliable measurement method to study the influence of the GaN buffer layer on phonon-escape time in comparison with commonly used Si substrates and, in consequence, on the IF bandwidth of HEBs. One of the key aspects is to operate the HEB mixer at elevated bath temperatures close to the critical temperature of the NbN ultra-thin film, where contributions from electron-phonon processes and self-heating effects are relatively small, therefore IF roll-off will be governed by the phonon-escape.Two independent experiments were performed at GARD and MSPU on a similar experimental setup at frequencies of approximately 180 and 140 GHz, respectively, and have shown reproducible and consistent results. The entire IF chain was characterized by S-parameter measurements. We compared the measurement results of epitaxial NbN grown onto GaN buffer-layer with Tc of 12.5 K (4.5nm) with high quality polycrystalline NbN films on Si substrate with Tc of 10.5K (5nm) and observed a strong indication of an enhancement of phonon escape to the substrate by a factor of two for the NbN/GaN material combination. |
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1202 |
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Zhang, W.; Li, N.; Jiang, L.; Ren, Y.; Yao, Q.-J.; Lin, Z.-H.; Shi, S.-C.; Voronov, B. M.; Gol’tsman, G. N. |
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Dependence of noise temperature of quasi-optical superconducting hot-electron bolometer mixers on bath temperature and optical-axis displacement |
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2008 |
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Proc. SPIE |
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Proc. SPIE |
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6840 |
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684007 (1 to 8) |
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NbN HEB mixers, noise temperature, LO power |
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It is known that the increase of bath temperature results in the decrease of critical current of superconducting hot-electron bolometer (HEB) mixers owing to the depression of superconductivity, thus leading to the degradation of the mixer’s sensitivity. Here we report our study on the effect of bath temperature on the heterodyne mixing performance of quasi-optical superconducting NbN HEB mixers incorporated with a two-arm log-spiral antenna. The correlation between the bath temperature, critical current, LO power requirement and noise temperature is investigated at 0.5 THz. Furthermore, the heterodyne mixing performance of quasi-optical superconducting NbN HEB mixers is examined while there is an optical-axis displacement between the center of the extended hemispherical silicon lens and the superconducting NbN HEB device, which is placed on the back of the lens. Detailed experimental results and analysis are presented. |
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Spie |
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Zhang, C.; Zhang, X.-C. |
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Terahertz Photonics |
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1415 |
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Gol'tsman, G. N.; Karasik, B. S.; Svechnikov, S. I.; Gershenzon, E. M.; Ekström, H.; Kollberg E. |
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Noise temperature of NbN hot—electron quasioptical superconducting mixer in 200-700 GHz range |
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1995 |
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Proc. 6th Int. Symp. Space Terahertz Technol. |
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Proc. 6th Int. Symp. Space Terahertz Technol. |
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268 |
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NbN HEB mixers, noise temperature |
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The electron heating effect in superconducting films is becoming very attractive for the development of THz range mixers because of the absence of frequency limitations inherent in the bolometric mechanism. However, the evidence for the spectral dependence of the position of optimal operating point has been found recently for NbN thin film devices 1.2 • The effect is presumably attributed to the variation in the absorption of radiation depending on the frequency. Since the resistive state is not spatially uniform the coupling efficiency of the mixer device with radiation can be different for frequencies larger than Zeilh and those smaller than 2Alh (d is the effective superconducting gap in the resistive state). To study the effect more thoroughly we have investigated the noise temperature of quasioptical NbN mixer device with broken hue tapered slot antenna in the frequency range 200-700 GHz. The device consists of several (5-10) parallel strips 1 jim wide and 6-7 tun thick made from NbN film on Si0 2 -Si 3 N 4 -Si membrane. The strips are connected with the gold contacts of the slot-line antenna which serves both as bias and IF leads. We used backward wave oscillators as LO sources and a standard hot/cold load technique for noise temperature measurements. The frequency dependence of noise temperature is mainly determined by two factors: frequency properties of the antenna and frequency dependence of the NbN film impedance. To separate both factors we monitored the frequency dependence of the device responsivity in the detector mode at a higher temperature within the superconducting transition where the impedance of NbN film is close to its normal resistance. In this case the impedance of the device itself is frequency independent. The experimental results will be reported at the Symposium. 1. G. Gollsman, S. Jacobsson, H. EkstrOm, B. Karasik, E. Kollberg, and E. Gershenzon, “Slot-line tapered antenna with NbN hot electron mixer for 300-360 GHz operation,” Proc of the 5th Int. Symp. on Space Terahertz Technology, pp. 209-213a, May 10-12,1994. 2. B.S. Karasik, G.N. Gol i tsman, B.M. Voronov, S.I. Svechnikov, E.M. Gershenzon, H. Ekstrom, S. Jacobsson, E. Kollberg, and K.S. Yngvesson, “Hot electron quasioptical NbN superconducting mixer,” presented at the ASC94, submitted to IEEE Trans. on Appl. Superconductivity. |
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1627 |
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Cherednichenko, S.; Kroug, M.; Merkel, H.; Kollberg, E.; Loudkov, D.; Smirnov, K.; Voronov, B.; Gol'tsman, G.; Gershenzon, E. |
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Local oscillator power requirement and saturation effects in NbN HEB mixers |
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2001 |
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Proc. 12th Int. Symp. Space Terahertz Technol. |
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Proc. 12th Int. Symp. Space Terahertz Technol. |
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273-285 |
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NbN HEB mixers, LO power, local oscillator power, saturation effect, dynamic range |
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The local oscillator power required for NbN hot-electron bolometric mixers (P LO ) was investigated with respect to mixer size, critical temperature and ambient temperature. P LO can be decreased by a factor of 10 as the mixer size decreases from 4×0.4 µm 2 to 0.6×0.13 µm 2 . For the smallest volume mixer the optimal local oscillator power was found to be 15 nW. We found that for such mixer no signal compression was observed up to an input signal of 2 nW which corresponds to an equivalent input load of 20,000 K. For a constant mixer volume, reduction of T c can decrease optimal local oscillator power at least by a factor of 2 without a deterioration of the receiver noise temperature. Bath temperature was found to have minor effect on the receiver characteristics. |
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San Diego, CA, USA |
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Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Inst.it.u.t.e of Technology |
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Hajenius, M.; Baselmans, J. J. A.; Gao, J. R.; Klapwijk, T. M.; de Korte 2, P. A. J.; Voronov, B.; Gol’tsman, G. |
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Increased bandwidth of NbN phonon cooled hot electron bolometer mixers |
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2004 |
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Proc. 15th Int. Symp. Space Terahertz Technol. |
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Proc. 15th Int. Symp. Space Terahertz Technol. |
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381-386 |
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NbN HEB mixers, IF bandwidth |
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We study experimentally the IF gain bandwidth of NbN phonon-cooled hot-electron-bolometer (HEB) mixers for a set of devices with different contact structures but an identical NbN film. We observe that the IF bandwidth depends strongly on the exact contact structure and find an IF gain bandwidth of 6 GHz for a device with an additional superconducting layer (NbTiN) in between the active NbN film and the gold contact to the antenna. These results contradict the common opinion that the IF bandwidth is determined by the phonon-escape time between the NbN film and the substrate. Hence we calculate the IF gain bandwidth of a superconducting film using a two-temperature model. We find that the bandwidth increases strongly with operating temperature and is not limited by the phonon escape time. This is because of strong temperature dependence of the phonon specific heat in the NbN film. |
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1494 |
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Ryabchun, S.; Tong, C.-yu E.; Blundell, R.; Kimberk, R.; Gol’tsman, G. |
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Effect of microwave radiation on the stability of terahertz hot-electron bolometer mixers |
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2006 |
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Proc. SPIE |
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Proc. SPIE |
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6373 |
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63730J (1 to 5) |
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NbN HEB mixers, hot-electron bolometer mixers, stability, Allan variance, LO power fluctuations |
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We report our studies of the effect of microwave radiation, with a frequency much lower than that corresponding to the energy gap of the superconductor, on the performance of the NbN hot-electron bolometer (HEB) mixer incorporated into a THz heterodyne receiver. It is shown that exposing the HEB mixer to microwave radiation does not result in a significant rise of the receiver noise temperature and degradation of the mixer conversion gain so long as the level of microwave power is small compared to the local oscillator drive. Hence the injection of a small, but controlled amount of microwave radiation enables active compensation of local oscillator power and coupling fluctuations which can significantly degrade the stability of HEB mixer receivers. |
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SPIE |
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Anwar, M.; DeMaria, A.J.; Shur, M.S. |
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Terahertz Physics, Devices, and Systems |
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1441 |
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Semenov, A.; Richter, H.; Smirnov, A.; Günther, B.; Hübers, H.-W.; Il’in, K.; Siegel, M.; Gol’tsman, G.; Drakinskiy, V.; Merkel, H.; Karamarkovic, J. |
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Development of HEB mixers for GREAT and for security screening |
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2007 |
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Proc. 18th Int. Symp. Space Terahertz Technol. |
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Proc. 18th Int. Symp. Space Terahertz Technol. |
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184 |
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NbN HEB mixers, GREAT |
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We report the study on the quasioptical coupling efficiency and the gain bandwidth of NbN hot-electron bolometer mixers developed for the 4.7 THz channel of the German receiver for Astronomy at THz-frequencies (GREAT) and for security screening at subterahertz frequencies. Radiation coupling efficiency and directive properties of integrated lens antennas with log-spiral, log-periodic and double-slot planar feeds coupled to a hot-electron bolometer were experimentally studied at frequencies from 1 THz to 6 THz and compared with simulations based on the method of moments and the physical-optics ray tracing. For all studied antennas the modeled spectral dependence of the coupling efficiency fits to the experimental data obtained with both Fourier transform spectroscopy and noise temperature measurements only if the complex impedance of the bolometer is explicitly taken into account. Our experimental data did not indicate any noticeable contribution of the quantum noise to the system noise temperature. The experimentally observed deviation of the beam pattern from the model prediction increases with frequency and is most likely due to a non- ideality of the presently used lenses. Study of the intermediate frequency mixer gain at local oscillator (LO) frequencies between 2.5 THz and 0.3 THz showed an increase of the gain bandwidth at low LO frequencies that was understood as the contribution of the direct interaction of magnetic vortices with the radiation field. We have found that the non- homogeneous hot-spot model more adequately describes variation of the intermediate frequency bandwidth with the applied local oscillator power than any of uniform mixer models. The state-of-the-day performance of the GREAT 4.7-THz channel and the 0.8-THz security scanner will be presented. |
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1420 |
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Antipov, S.; Trifonov, A.; Krause, S.; Meledin, D.; Desmaris, V.; Belitsky, V.; Gol’tsman, G. |
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Gain bandwidth of NbN HEB mixers on GaN buffer layer operating at 2 THz local oscillator frequency |
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2017 |
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Proc. 28th Int. Symp. Space Terahertz Technol. |
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Proc. 28th Int. Symp. Space Terahertz Technol. |
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147-148 |
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NbN HEB mixers, GaN buffer-layer, IF bandwidth |
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In this paper, we present IF bandwidth measurement results of NbN HEB mixers, which are employing NbN thin films grown on a GaN buffer-layer. The HEB mixers were operated in the heterodyne regime at a bath temperature of approximately 4.5 K and with a local oscillator operating at a frequency of 2 THz. A quantum cascade laser served as the local oscillator and a reference synthesizer based on a BWO generator (130-160 GHz) and a semiconductor superlattice (SSL) frequency multiplier was used as a signal source. By changing the LO frequency it was possible to record the IF response or gain bandwidth of the HEB with a spectrum analyzer at the operation point, which yielded lowest noise temperature. The gain bandwidth that was recorded in the heterodyne regime at 2 THz amounts to approximately 5 GHz and coincides well with a measurement that has been performed at elevated bath temperatures and lower LO frequency of 140 GHz. These findings strongly support that by using a GaN buffer-layer the phonon escape time of NbN HEBs can be significantly lower as compared to e.g. Si substrate, thus, providing higher gain bandwidth. |
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