Abstract: A novel superconducting single-photon detector (SSPD), intrinsically capable of high quantum efficiency (up to 20%) over a wide spectral range (ultraviolet to infrared), with low dark counts (<1 cps), and fast (<40 ps) timing resolution, is described. This SSPD has been used to perform timing measurements on complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor integrated circuits (ICs) by detecting the infrared light emission from switching transistors. Measurements performed from the backside of a 0.13 μm geometry flip–chip IC are presented. Other potential applications for this detector are in telecommunications, quantum cryptography, biofluorescence, and chemical kinetics.

Abstract: Diffusion-cooled aluminum hot-electron bolometer (HEB) mixers are of interest for low-noise high resolution THz-frequency spectroscopy within astrophysics. Al HEB mixers offer operation with an order of magnitude less local oscillator power, higher intermediate frequency bandwidth and potentially lower noise than competing devices made from other materials. We report on mixer experiments at 618 GHz with devices fabricated from films with sheet resistances in the range from about 55 Ω down to about 9 Ω per square. Intermediate frequency bandwidths of up to 3 GHz were measured (1 μm long device), with absorbed local oscillator power levels of 0.5 to 6 nW and mixer conversion up to -21.5 dB. High input coupling efficiency implies that the electrons in the device are able to thermalize before escaping from the device. It was found that the long coherence length complicates mixer operations due to the proximity of the contact pads. Also, saturation at the IF frequency may be a concern for this type of device, and warrants further studies.

Abstract: Sensitivity and gain bandwidth measurements of phonon-cooled NbN superconducting hot-electron bolometer mixers are presented. The best receiver noise temperatures are: 700 K at 1.6 THz and 1100 K at 2.5 THz. Parylene as an antireflection coating on silicon has been investigated and used in the optics of the receiver. The dependence of the mixer gain bandwidth (GBW) on the bias voltage has been measured. Starting from low bias voltages, close to operating conditions yielding the lowest noise temperature, the GBW increases towards higher bias voltages, up to three times the initial value. The highest measured GBW is 9 GHz within the same bias range the noise temperature increases by a factor of two.

Abstract: The impurity conduction of a series of crystalline silicon samples with the concentration of major impurity N ≈ 3 × 1016 cm−3 and with a varied, but very small, compensation K was measured as a function of the electric field E in various magnetic fields H-σ(H, E). It was found that, at K < 10−3 and in moderate E, where these samples are characterized by a negative nonohmicity (dσ(0, E)/dE < 0), the ratio σ(H, E)/σ(0, E) > 1 (negative magnetoresistance). With increasing E, these inequalities are simultaneously reversed (positive nonohmicity and positive magnetoresistance). It is suggested that both negative and positive nonohmicities are due to electron transitions in electric fields from impurity ground states to states in the Mott-Hubbard gap.

Abstract: The reflectivity of metallic mirrors in the millimeter wave region does not only depend on the material, but also on the structure and roughness of the surface. We have performed measurements of the reflectivity of various plane and grooved metallic and graphite samples at 140 GHz. The technique is based on the comparison of the quality factor of a 2-mirror reference resonator with the quality factor of a 3-mirror resonator which has identical dimensions and includes the mirror to be tested. After a brief presentation of the theory, the set-up is described and the reflection loss for various aluminium and copper mirrors as well as vacuum compatible materials for applications in thermonuclear fusion experiments are presented and discussed.