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Crowe, T. W., Mattauch, R. J., Roser, H. P., Bishop, W. L., Peatman, W. C. B., & Liu, X. (1992). GaAs Schottky diodes for THz mixing applications. In Proc. IEEE (Vol. 80, pp. 1827–1841).
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Ekstörm, H., Kollberg, E., Yagoubov, P., Gol'tsman, G., Gershenzon, E., & Yngvesson, S. (1997). Gain and noise bandwidth of NbN hot-electron bolometric mixers. Appl. Phys. Lett., 70(24), 3296–3298.
Abstract: We have measured the noise performance and gain bandwidth of 35 Å thin NbN hot-electron mixers integrated with spiral antennas on silicon substrate lenses at 620 GHz. The best double-sideband receiver noise temperature is less than 1300 K with a 3 dB bandwidth of ≈5 GHz. The gain bandwidth is 3.2 GHz. The mixer output noise dominated by thermal fluctuations is 50 K, and the intrinsic conversion gain is about −12 dB. Without mismatch losses and excluding the loss from the beamsplitter, we expect to achieve a receiver noise temperature of less than 700 K.
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Maslennikova, A., Tretyakov, I., Ryabchun, S., Finkel, M., Kaurova, N., Voronov, B., et al. (2010). Gain bandwidth and noise temperature of NbN HEB mixers with simultaneous phonon and diffusion cooling. In Proc. 21th Int. Symp. Space Terahertz Technol. (pp. 218–219).
Abstract: The space observatory Millimetron will be operating in the millimeter, sub-millimeter and infrared ranges using a 12-m cryogenic telescope in a single-dish mode, and as an interferometer with the space-earth and space-space baselines (the latter after the launch of the second identical space telescope). The observatory will allow performing astronomical observations with an unprecedented sensitivity (down to nJy level) in the single-dish mode, and observations with a high angular resolution in the interferometer mode. The total spectral range 20 μm – 2 cm is separated into 10 bands. HEB mixers with two cooling channels (diffusion and phonon) have been chosen to be the detectors of choice of the system covering the range from 1 THz to 6 THz as the best detectors in terahertz receivers. This type of HEB has already shown good work in the terahertz range. A gain bandwidth of 6 GHz at an LO frequency of 300 GHz and a noise temperature of 750 K at an LO frequency of 2.5 THz are the best values for HEB mixers with two cooling channels [1]. Theoretical estimations predict a bandwidth up to 12 GHz. Reaching such good result demands more systematic and thorough research. We present the results of the gain bandwidth and noise temperature measurements for superconducting hot- electron bolometer mixers with two cooling channels. These characteristics of the devices of lengths varying from 50 to 200 nm were measured for the purposes of Millimetron at frequencies of 600 GHz, 2.5 THz, and 3.8 THz. For gain bandwidth measurements we use two BWO’s operating at 600 GHz: one as the signal and the second as the LO. The noise temperature measurements were performed using a gas discharge laser as the LO and blackbodies at 77 K and 295 K as input signals. The devices studied consist of 3.5-nm-thick NbN bridges connected to thick (10 nm) high conductivity Au leads fabricated in situ. This method of fabricating devices has already proved promising by opening the diffusion cooling channel. [2] Fig. 1 shows a SEM photograph of a log-spiral antenna with an HEB at its apex. Fig. 1. Left: a SEM photograph of a log-spiral antenna with an HEB at its apex; right: a close-up of the HEB at the antenna apex. [1] S. A. Ryabchun, I. V. Tretyakov, M. I. Finkel, S. N. Maslennikov, N. S. Kaurova, V. A. Seleznev, B. M. Voronov, and G. N. Gol’tsman, NbN phonon-cooled hot-electron bolometer mixer with additional diffusion cooling, Proc. of the 20 th Int. Symp. Space. Technol., Charlottesville, Virginia, USA, April 20 – 22, 2009. 218[2] S. A. Ryabchun * , I. V. Tretyakov, M. I. Finkel, S. N. Maslennikov, N. S. Kaurova, V. A. Seleznev, B. M. Voronov and G. N. Goltsman, Fabrication and characterisation of NbN HEB mixers with in situ gold contacts, Proc. of the 19 th Int. Symp. Space. Technol., Groningen, The Netherlands, April 28-30, 2008
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Finkel, M., Vachtomin, Y., Antipov, S., Drakinski, V., Kaurova, N., Voronov, B., et al. (2003). Gain bandwidth and noise temperature of NbTiN HEB mixer. In Proc. 14th Int. Symp. Space Terahertz Technol. (pp. 276–285).
Abstract: We have determined that the gain bandwidth of phonon-cooled HEB mixer employing NbTiN films deposited on MgO layer over Si substrate is limited b y the escape of phonons to the substrate. The cut-off frequencies of 1 um long devices operating at T 71, based on 3.5 nm. 4 nm and 10 nm thick films amount to 400 Mk. 300 MHz, and 100 MHz, respectivel y . The gain bandwidth of 0.13 . um long devices fabricated from 3.5 nm thick film is larger and amounts to 0.8 GIL; at the optimal operating point and to 1.5 GIL: at larger bias. The increase of the gain bandwidth from 400 MHz up to 1.5 GH: with the change of bridge length is attributed to diffusion cooling. A double sideband noise temperature of 4000 K was obtained for heterodyne receiver utilizing pilot NbTiN HEB mixer (not optimized for normal state resistance) operating at the local oscillator frequency of 2.5 THz.
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Antipov, S., Trifonov, A., Krause, S., Meledin, D., Desmaris, V., Belitsky, V., et al. (2017). Gain bandwidth of NbN HEB mixers on GaN buffer layer operating at 2 THz local oscillator frequency. In Proc. 28th Int. Symp. Space Terahertz Technol. (pp. 147–148).
Abstract: 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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