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Kawamura, J., Tong, C. - Y. E., Blundell, R., Papa, D. C., Hunter, T. R., Patt, F., et al. (2001). Terahertz-frequency waveguide NbN hot-electron bolometer mixer. IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond., 11(1), 952–954.
Abstract: We have developed a low-noise waveguide heterodyne receiver for operation near 1 THz using phonon-cooled NbN hot-electron bolometers. The mixer elements are submicron-sized microbridges of 4 nm-thick NbN film fabricated on a quartz substrate. Operating at a bath temperature of 4.2 K, the double-sideband receiver noise temperature is 760 K at 1.02 THz and 1100 K at 1.26 THz. The local oscillator is provided by solid-state sources, and power measured at the source is less than 1 /spl mu/W. The intermediate frequency bandwidth exceeds 2 GHz. The receiver was used to make the first ground-based heterodyne detection of a celestial spectroscopic line above 1 THz.
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Tong, C. - Y. E., Meledin, D., Loudkov, D., Blundell, R., Erickson, N., Kawamura, J., et al. (2003). A 1.5 THz Hot-Electron Bolometer mixer operated by a planar diode based local oscillator. In IEEE MTT-S Int. Microwave Symp. Digest (Vol. 2, pp. 751–754).
Abstract: We have developed a 1.5 THz superconducting NbN Hot-Electron Bolometer mixer. It is operated by an all-solid-state Local Oscillator comprising of a cascade of 4 planar doublers following an MMIC based W-band power amplifier. The threshold available pump power is estimated to be 1 /spl mu/W.
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Meledin, D., Tong, C. - Y. E., Blundell, R., & Goltsman, G. (2003). Measurement of intermediate frequency bandwidth of hot electron bolometer mixers at terahertz frequency range. IEEE Microw. Wireless Compon. Lett., 13(11), 493–495.
Abstract: We have developed a new experimental setup for measuring the IF bandwidth of superconducting hot electron bolometer mixers. In our measurement system we use a chopped hot filament as a broadband signal source, and can perform a high-speed IF scan with no loss of accuracy when compared to coherent methods. Using this technique we have measured the 3 dB IF bandwidth of hot electron bolometer mixers, designed for THz frequency operation, and made from 3-4 nm thick NbN film deposited on an MgO buffer layer over crystalline quartz.
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Meledin, D. V., Marrone, D. P., Tong, C. - Y. E., Gibson, H., Blundell, R., Paine, S. N., et al. (2004). A 1-THz superconducting hot-electron-bolometer receiver for astronomical observations. IEEE Trans. Microwave Theory Techn., 52(10), 2338–2343.
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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Loudkov, D., Tong, C. - Y. E., Marrone, D. P., Ryabchun, S., Paine, S. N., & Blundell, R. (2005). Transmission measurements of infrared filters for low-noise terahertz receiver applications. In Proc. 16th Int. Symp. Space Terahertz Technol. (pp. 354–357).
Abstract: Infrared (IR) filters are very important to the efficient operation of cryogenic receivers. Usually, such filters are mounted on the radiation shield of the cryostat to reduce the heat load to the 4 K stage. Insufficient filtering may cause the temperature of the mixing element in a receiver to be excessively warm, leading to degradation in sensitivity. These filters should be effective in blocking the room temperature IR radiation from outside the cryostat, yet should be transparent across the desired signal frequency band. In the Terahertz frequency range, which is close to the infrared, it is difficult to find an inexpensive low- loss material that can provide the required IR blocking capacity. We present transmission measurements, made using a Fourier Transform Spectrometer (FTS), of a number of potential infrared filters between 0.4 and 1.6 THz. The filters tested include the widely-used, Teflon-based, Zitex-A and Zitex-G films, alkali halide based infrared filter, and crystalline quartz coated with Parylene, and polyethylene films.
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