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Author Tretyakov, I. V.; Anfertyev, V. A.; Revin, L. S.; Kaurova, N. S.; Voronov, B. M.; Vaks, V. L.; Goltsman, G. N.
Title Sensitivity and resolution of a heterodyne receiver based on the NbN HEB mixer with a quantum-cascade laser as a local oscillator Type Journal Article
Year 2018 Publication Radiophys. Quant. Electron. Abbreviated Journal Radiophys. Quant. Electron.
Volume 60 Issue 12 Pages 988-992
Keywords (up) NbN HEB mixer
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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Language Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 0033-8443 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes Approved no
Call Number Serial 1307
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Author Tretyakov, Ivan; Kaurova, N.; Voronov, B. M.; Goltsman, G. N.
Title About effect of the temperature operating conditions on the noise temperature and noise bandwidth of the terahertz range NbN hot-electron bolometers Type Abstract
Year 2018 Publication Proc. 29th Int. Symp. Space Terahertz Technol. Abbreviated Journal Proc. 29th Int. Symp. Space Terahertz Technol.
Volume Issue Pages 113
Keywords (up) NbN HEB mixer
Abstract Results of an experimental study of the noise temperature (Tn) and noise bandwidth (NBW) of the superconductor NbN hot-electron bolometer (HEB) mixer as a function of its temperature (Tb) and NbN bridge length are presented. It was determined that the NBW of the mixer is significantly wider at temperatures close to the critical ones (Tc) than are values measured at 4.2 K. The NBW of the mixer measured at the heterodyne frequency of 2.5 THz at temperature Tb close to Tc was ~13 GHz, as compared with 6 GHz at Tb = 4.2 K. This experiment clearly demonstrates the limitation of the thermal flow from the NbN bridge at Tb ≪ Tc for mixers manufactured by the in situ technique. This limitation is close in its nature to the Andreev reflection on the superconductor/metal boundary. In this case, the noise temperature of the studied mixer increased from 1100 to 3800 K.
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Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
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ISSN ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes Approved no
Call Number Serial 1313
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Author Krause, S.; Mityashkin, V.; Antipov, S.; Gol’tsman, G.; Meledin, D.; Desmaris, V.; Belitsky, V.; Rudziński, M.
Title Reduction of phonon escape time for nbn hot electron bolometers by using gan buffer layers Type Journal Article
Year 2017 Publication IEEE Trans. Terahertz Sci. Technol. Abbreviated Journal IEEE Trans. Terahertz Sci. Technol.
Volume 7 Issue 1 Pages 53-59
Keywords (up) NbN HEB mixer
Abstract In this paper, we investigated the influence of the GaN buffer layer on the phonon escape time of phonon-cooled hot electron bolometers (HEBs) based on NbN material and compared our findings to conventionally employed Si substrate. The presented experimental setup and operation of the HEB close to the critical temperature of the NbN film allowed for the extraction of phonon escape time in a simplified manner. Two independent experiments were performed at GARD/Chalmers and MSPU on a similar experimental setup at frequencies of approximately 180 and 140 GHz, respectively, and have shown reproducible and consistent results. By fitting the normalized IF measurement data to the heat balance equations, the escape time as a fitting parameter has been deduced and amounts to 45 ps for the HEB based on Si substrate as in contrast to a significantly reduced escape time of 18 ps for the HEB utilizing the GaN buffer layer under the assumption that no additional electron diffusion has taken place. This study indicates a high phonon transmissivity of the NbN-to-GaN interface and a prospective increase of IF bandwidth for HEB made of NbN on GaN buffer layers, which is desirable for future THz HEB heterodyne receivers.
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Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 2156-3446 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes Approved no
Call Number Serial 1330
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Author Trifonov, A.; Tong, C.-Y. E.; Lobanov, Y.; Kaurova, N.; Blundell, R.; Goltsman, G.
Title Photon absorption near the gap frequency in a hot electron bolometer Type Journal Article
Year 2017 Publication IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond. Abbreviated Journal IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond.
Volume 27 Issue 4 Pages 1-4
Keywords (up) NBN HEB mixer
Abstract The superconducting energy gap is a fundamental characteristic of a superconducting film, which, together with the applied pump power and the biasing setup, defines the instantaneous resistive state of the Hot Electron Bolometer (HEB) mixer at any given bias point on the I-V curve. In this paper we report on a series of experiments, in which we subjected the HEB to radiation over a wide frequency range along with parallel microwave injection. We have observed three distinct regimes of operation of the HEB, depending on whether the radiation is above the gap frequency, far below it or close to it. These regimes are driven by the different patterns of photon absorption. The experiments have allowed us to derive the approximate gap frequency of the device under test as about 585 GHz. Microwave injection was used to probe the HEB impedance. Spontaneous switching between the superconducting (low resistive) state and a quasi-normal (high resistive) state was observed. The switching pattern depends on the particular regime of HEB operation and can assume a random pattern at pump frequencies below the gap to a regular relaxation oscillation running at a few MHz when pumped above the gap.
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Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 1558-2515 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes Approved no
Call Number Serial 1331
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Author Tong, C.-Y. E.; Trifonov, A.; Shurakov, A.; Blundell, R.; Gol’tsman, G.
Title A microwave-operated hot-electron-bolometric power detector for terahertz radiation Type Journal Article
Year 2015 Publication IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond. Abbreviated Journal IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond.
Volume 25 Issue 3 Pages 2300604 (1 to 4)
Keywords (up) NbN HEB mixer
Abstract A new class of microwave-operated THz power detectors based on the NbN hot-electron-bolometer (HEB) mixer is proposed. The injected microwave signal ( 1 GHz) serves the dual purpose of pumping the HEB element and enabling the read-out of the internal state of the device. A cryogenic amplifier amplifies the reflected microwave signal from the device and a homodyne scheme recovers the effects of the incident THz radiation. Two modes of operation have been identified, depending on the level of incident radiation. For weak signals, we use a chopper to chop the incident radiation against a black body reference and a lock-in amplifier to perform synchronous detection of the homodyne readout. The voltage measured is proportional to the incident power, and we estimate an optical noise equivalent power of  5pW/ √Hz at 0.83 THz. At higher signal levels, the homodyne circuit recovers the stream of steady relaxation oscillation pulses from the HEB device. The frequency of these pulses is in the MHz frequency range and bears a linear relationship with the incident THz radiation over an input power range of  15 dB. A digital frequency counter is used to measure THz power. The applicable power range is between 1 nW and 1 μW.
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Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 1558-2515 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes Approved no
Call Number Serial 1354
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Author Tretyakov, Ivan; Seliverstov, Sergey; Zolotov, Philipp; Kaurova, Natalya; Voronov, Boris; Finkel, Matvey; Goltsman, Gregory
Title Noise temperature and noise bandwidth of hot-electron bolometer mixer at 3.8 THz Type Abstract
Year 2014 Publication Proc. 25th Int. Symp. Space Terahertz Technol. Abbreviated Journal Proc. 25th Int. Symp. Space Terahertz Technol.
Volume Issue Pages 77
Keywords (up) NbN HEB mixer
Abstract We report on our recent results of double sideband (DSB) noise temperature and bandwidth measurements of quasi-optical hot electron bolometer (HEB) mixers at local oscillator frequency of 3.8 THz. The HEB mixers used in this work were made of a NbN thin film and had a superconducting transition temperature of about 10.3 K. To couple terahertz radiation, the NbN microbridge (0.2 μm long and 2 μm wide) was integrated with a planar logarithmic-spiral antenna. The mixer chip was glued to an elliptical Si lens clamped tightly to a mixer block mounted on the 4.2 K plate of a liquid helium cryostat. The terahertz radiation was fed into the HEB device through the cryostat window made of a 0.5 mm thick HDPE. A band-pass mesh filter was mounted on the 4.2 K plate to minimize the direct detection effect [1]. We used a gas discharge laser irradiating at 3.8 THz H 2 0 line as a local oscillator (LO). The LO power was combined with a black body broadband radiation via Mylar beam splitter. Our receiver allows heterodyne detection with an intermediate frequency (IF) of a several gigahertz which dictates usage of a wideband SiGe low noise amplifier [2]. The receiver IF output signal was further amplified at room temperature and fed into a square-law power detector through a band-pass filter. The DSB receiver noise temperature was measured using a conventional Y-factor technique at IF of 1.25 GHz and band of 40 MHz. Using wideband amplifiers at both cryogenic and room temperature stages we have estimated IF bandwidth of the HEB mixers used. The obtained results strengthen the position of the HEB mixer as one of the most important tools for submillimeter astronomy. This device operates well above the energy gap (at frequencies above 1 THz) where performance of state-of-the-art SIS mixers starts to degrade. So, HEB mixers are expected to be a device of choice in astrophysical observations (ground-, aircraft- and space-based) at THz frequencies due to its excellent noise performance and low LO power requirements. The HEB mixers will be in operation on Millimetron Space Observatory. References 1. J. J. A. Baselmans, A. Baryshev, S. F. Reker, M. Hajenius, J. R. Gao, T. M. Klapwijk, Yu. Vachtomin, S. Maslennikov, S. Antipov, B. Voronov, and G. Gol'tsman, Appl. Phys. Lett., 86, 163503 (2005). 2. Sander Weinreb, Life Fellow, IEEE, Joseph C. Bardin, Student Member, IEEE, and Hamdi Mani, “Design of Cryogenic SiGe Low-Noise Amplifiers”, IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques, 55, 11, 2007.
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Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes Approved no
Call Number Serial 1362
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Author Yang, Z. Q.; Hajenius, M.; Baselmans, J. J. A.; Gao, J.R.; Klapwijk, T. M.; Voronov, B.; Gol’tsman, G.
Title Improved sensitivity of NbN hot electron bolometer mixers by vacuum baking Type Conference Article
Year 2005 Publication Proc. 16th Int. Symp. Space Terahertz Technol. Abbreviated Journal Proc. 16th Int. Symp. Space Terahertz Technol.
Volume Issue Pages 222-225
Keywords (up) NbN HEB mixer
Abstract We find that the sensitivity of heterodyne receivers based on superconducting hot-electron bolometer (HEB) in- creases by 25 − 30% after baking at 85 o C and in a high vacuum. The devices studied are twin-slot antenna coupled HEB mixers with a small NbN bridge of 1×0.15 μm 2 . The mixer noise temperature, gain, and resistance versus temperature curve of a HEB before and after baking are compared and analyzed. We show that baking reduces the intrinsic noise of the mixer by 37 % and makes the superconducting transition of the bridge and the contacts sharper. We argue that the reduction of the noise is due to the improvement of the transparency of the contact/film interface. 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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Publisher Place of Publication Editor
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Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
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ISSN ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes Approved no
Call Number Serial 1471
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Author Tretyakov, Ivan; Ryabchun, Sergey; Finkel, Matvey; Maslennikov, Sergey; Maslennikova, Anna; Kaurova, Natalia; Lobastova, Anastasia; Voronov, Boris; Gol'tsman, Gregory
Title Ultrawide noise bandwidth of NbN hot-electron bolometer mixers with in situ gold contacts Type Journal Article
Year 2011 Publication IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond. Abbreviated Journal
Volume 21 Issue 3 Pages 620-623
Keywords (up) NbN HEB mixer bandwidth
Abstract We report a noise bandwidth of 7 GHz in the new generation of NbN hot-electron bolometer (HEB) mixers that are being developed for the space observatory Millimetron. The HEB receiver driven by a 2.5-THz local oscillator offered a noise temperature of 600 K in a 50-MHz final detection bandwidth. As the filter center frequency was swept this value remained nearly constant up to the cutoff frequency of the cryogenic amplifier at 7 GHz. We believe that such a low value of the noise temperature is due to reduced radio frequency (RF) loss at the interface between the superconducting film and the gold contacts. We have also performed gain bandwidth measurements at the superconducting transition on HEB mixers with various lengths and found them to be in excellent agreement with the results of the analytical and numerical models developed for the HEB mixer with both diffusion and phonon cooling of hot electrons.
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Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
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ISSN ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes Approved no
Call Number RPLAB @ gujma @ Serial 716
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Author Meledin, D. V.; Marrone, D. P.; Tong, C.-Y. E.; Gibson, H.; Blundell, R.; Paine, S. N.; Papa, D.C.; Smith, M.; Hunter, T. R.; Battat, J.; Voronov, B.; Gol'tsman, G.
Title A 1-THz superconducting hot-electron-bolometer receiver for astronomical observations Type Journal Article
Year 2004 Publication IEEE Trans. Microwave Theory Techn. Abbreviated Journal IEEE Trans. Microwave Theory Techn.
Volume 52 Issue 10 Pages 2338-2343
Keywords (up) NbN HEB mixer, applications
Abstract In this paper, we describe a superconducting hot-electron-bolometer mixer receiver developed to operate in atmospheric windows between 800-1300 GHz. The receiver uses a waveguide mixer element made of 3-4-nm-thick NbN film deposited over crystalline quartz. This mixer yields double-sideband receiver noise temperatures of 1000 K at around 1.0 THz, and 1600 K at 1.26 THz, at an IF of 3.0 GHz. The receiver was successfully tested in the laboratory using a gas cell as a spectral line test source. It is now in use on the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory terahertz test telescope in northern Chile.
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Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 0018-9480 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes Approved no
Call Number Serial 1484
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Author Antipov, S.; Trifonov, A.; Krause, S.; Meledin, D.; Kaurova, N.; Rudzinski, M.; Desmaris, V.; Belitsky, V.; Goltsman, G.
Title Improved bandwidth of a 2 THz hot-electron bolometer heterodyne mixer fabricated on sapphire with a GaN buffer layer Type Journal Article
Year 2019 Publication Supercond. Sci. Technol. Abbreviated Journal Supercond. Sci. Technol.
Volume 32 Issue 7 Pages 075003
Keywords (up) NbN HEB mixer, GaN buffer layer, sapphire substrate
Abstract We report on the signal-to-noise and gain bandwidth of a niobium nitride (NbN) hot-electron bolometer (HEB) mixer at 2 THz fabricated on a sapphire substrate with a GaN buffer layer. Two mixers with different DC properties and geometrical dimensions were studied and they demonstrated very close bandwidth performance. The signal-to-noise bandwidth is increased to 8 GHz in comparison to the previous results, obtained without a buffer-layer. The data were taken in a quasi-optical system with the use of the signal-to-noise method, which is close to the signal levels used in actual astrophysical observations. We find an increase of the gain bandwidth to 5 GHz. The results indicate that prior results obtained on a substrate of crystalline GaN can also be obtained on a conventional sapphire substrate with a few micron MOCVD-deposited GaN buffer-layer.
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Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher IOP Publishing Place of Publication Editor
Language Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
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ISSN ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes Approved no
Call Number Antipov_2019 Serial 1277
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