Kawamura, J., Blundell, R., Tong, C. - Y. E., Golts'man, G., Gershenzon, E., & Voronov B. (1996). Superconductive NbN hot-electron bolometric mixer performance at 250 GHz. In Proc. 7th Int. Symp. Space Terahertz Technol. (pp. 331–336).
Abstract: Thin film NbN (<40 A) strips are used as waveguide mixer elements. The electron cooling mechanism for the geometry is the electron-phonon interaction. We report a receiver noise temperature of 750 K at 244 GHz, with / IF = 1.5 GHz, Af= 500 MHz, and Tphysical = 4 K. The instantaneous bandwidth for this mixer is 1.6 GHz. The local oscillator (LO) power is 0.5 1.tW with 3 dB-uncertainty. The mixer is linear to 1 dB up to an input power level 6 dB below the LO power. We report the first detection of a molecular line emission using this class of mixer, and that the receiver noise temperature determined from Y-factor measurements reflects the true heterodyne sensitivity.
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Kawamura, J., Blundell, R., Tong, C. - Y. E., Papa, D. C., Hunter, T. R., Paine, S. N., et al. (2000). Superconductive hot-electron-bolometer mixer receiver for 800-GHz operation. IEEE Trans. Microw. Theory Techn., 48(4), 683–689.
Abstract: In this paper, we describe a superconductive hot-electron-bolometer mixer receiver designed to operate in the partially transmissive 350-μm atmospheric window. The receiver employs an NbN thin-film microbridge as the mixer element, in which the main cooling mechanism of the hot electrons is through electron-phonon interaction. At a local-oscillator frequency of 808 GHz, the measured double-sideband receiver noise temperature is TRX=970 K, across a 1-GHz intermediate-frequency bandwidth centered at 1.8 GHz. We have measured the linearity of the receiver and the amount of local-oscillator power incident on the mixer for optimal operation, which is PLO≈1 μW. This receiver was used in making observations as a facility instrument at the Heinrich Hertz Telescope, Mt. Graham, AZ, during the 1998-1999 winter observing season.
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Kinev, N. V., Filippenko, L. V., Ozhegov, R. V., Gorshkov, K. N., Gol’tsman, G. N., & Koshelets, V. P. (2014). Superconducting integrated receiver with HEB-mixer. In Proc. 25th Int. Symp. Space Terahertz Technol. (78).
Abstract: Detectors in THz range with high sensitivity are very essential nowadays in different fields: space technology, atmospheric research, medicine and security. The most sensitive heterodyne detectors below 1 THz are the SIS- mixers due to its extremely high non-linearity and low noise level. Nevertheless, their effective range is strongly limited by superconducting gap Δ (about 1 THz for NbN circuits). Above 1 THz the detectors based on HEB (hot electron bolometers) are more effective [1]; their operation frequency is not limited from above and can be up to 70 THz [2]. HEBs can perform as both direct and heterodyne detectors (mixers). All HEB-mixers are used with external heterodyne, most useful are synthesizer with multipliers, quantum cascade lasers or far infrared lasers and backward-wave oscillators. Superconducting integrated receiver (SIR) is based on implementation of both SIS-miser and flux flow oscillator (FFO) acting as heterodyne at single chip [3]. Such receiver has been successfully applied at TELIS balloon-borne instrument for study of atmospheric constituents [4] and looks as very promising device for other THz missions including space research. Thus, there is a task to expand its operating range to higher frequencies. The frequency range of the SIR the operation is limited by both the SIS-mixer and the FFO maximum frequencies. The idea of present work is implementation of the HEB as a mixer in the SIR instead of the SIS traditionally used. We introduce the first results of integrating the HEB-mixer coupled to planar slot antenna with the FFO on one chip. For properly FFO operation the SIS harmonic mixer is used to phase lock the oscillator. The scheme of the SIR based on the HEB- mixer is presented in fig. 1. We have demonstrated the principal possibility of integration of both the HEB-mixer and the flux-flow oscillator on a single chip and succeed with sufficient power coupling for properly receiver operation. We measured the direct response of the HEB coupled to the antenna at THz frequencies by the FTS setup and noise temperature of the receiver with standard Y- factor measuring technique. The SIR operating range 450-620 GHz was achieved with the best uncorrected noise temperature of about 1000 К. One should note that it is still quite low frequencies for effective operation of the HEB-mixer; therefore we expect to obtain the better results for frequencies above 700 GHz (up to 1.2 THz). Another additional task is to increase the FFO frequencies by using NbTiN electrodes instead of NbN; currently we are working on this issue. This work was supported by the RFBR grant, the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia and Russian Academy of Sciences. References 1. D. Semenov, H.-W. Hubers, J. Schubert, G. N. Gol’tsman, A. I. Elantiev, B. M. Voronov, E. M. Gershenzon, Design and performance of the lattice-cooled hot-electron terahertz mixer, J. Appl. Phys. 88, 6758, 2000. 2. Maslennikov S. N., Finkel M. I., Antipov S. V. et al. Spiral antenna coupled and directly coupled NbN HEB mixers in the frequency range from 1 to 70THz. Proc. 17 th international symposium on space terahertz technology. Paris, France: 2006.—may. Pp. 177 – 179. 3. V.P. Koshelets, S.V. Shitov. Integrated Superconducting Receivers. Supercond. Sci. Technol. Vol. 13. P. R53-R59. 2000. 4. Gert de Lange, Dick Boersma, Johannes Dercksen et.al. Development and Characterization of the Superconducting Integrated Receiver Channel of the TELIS Atmospheric Sounder. Supercond. Sci. Technol. vol. 23, No 4, 045016 (8pp). 2010.
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Pentin, I., Finkel, M., Maslennikov, S., Vakhtomin, Y., Smirnov, K., Kaurova, N., et al. (2017). Superconducting hot-electron-bolometer mixers for the mid-IR. Rus. J. Radio Electron., (10), http://jre.cplire.ru/jre/oct17/9/text.pdf.
Abstract: The work presents the result of development of the NbN superconducting hot-electron-bolometer (HEB) mixer. The sensitive element of the mixer is directly coupled to mid-IR radiation, and doesn’t have planar metallic antenna. Investigations of noise characteristics of NbN HEB mixer were performed at the frequency 28.4 THz (λ = 10.6 µm) by using gas-discharge CW CO2-laser without consideration of optical and electrical losses in the heterodyne receiver. The noise temperature of NbN HEB mixer with the size of the sensitive element 10 µm × 10 µm was 2320 K (~ 1.5hν/kB) at the heterodyne frequency of 28.4 THz. The noise temperature was determined by measuring the Y-factor taking into account the term which describes fluctuations of zero-point oscillations in accordance with the fluctuation-dissipation theorem of Calle-Welton. Isothermal method was used to estimate the absorbed heterodyne radiation power which was 9 µW at the optimal operating point for the minimum noise temperature of NbN HEB mixer.
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Semenov, A. D., Hübers, H. - W., Richter, H., Birk, M., Krocka, M., Mair, U., et al. (2003). Superconducting hot-electron bolometer mixer for terahertz heterodyne receivers. IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond., 13(2), 168–171.
Abstract: We present recent results showing the development of superconducting NbN hot-electron bolometer mixer for German receiver for astronomy at terahertz frequencies and terahertz limb sounder. The mixer is incorporated into a planar feed antenna, which has either logarithmic spiral or double-slot configuration, and backed on a silicon lens. The hybrid antenna had almost frequency independent and symmetric radiation pattern slightly broader than expected for a diffraction limited antenna. At 2.5 THz the best 2200 K double side-band receiver noise temperature was achieved across a 1 GHz intermediate frequency bandwidth centred at 1.5 GHz. For this operation regime, a receiver conversion efficiency of -17 dB was directly measured and the loss budget was evaluated. The mixer response was linear at load temperatures smaller than 400 K. Implementation of the MgO buffer layer on Si resulted in an increased 5.2 GHz gain bandwidth. The receiver was tested in the laboratory environment by measuring a methanol emission line at 2.5 THz.
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