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Tong C-YE, Meledin D, Loudkov D, Blundell R, Erickson N, Kawamura J, et al. 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.; 2003. p. 751–4.
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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Lobanov Y, Tong E, Blundell R, Hedden A, Voronov B, Gol'tsman G. Large-signal frequency response of an HEB mixer: from 300 MHz to terahertz. IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond.. 2011;21(3):628–31.
Abstract: We present a study of the large signal frequency response of an HEB mixer over a wide frequency range. In our experiments, we have subjected the HEB mixer to incident electromagnetic radiation from 0.3 GHz to 1 THz. The mixer element is an NbN film deposited on crystalline quartz. The mixer chip is mounted in a waveguide cavity, coupled to free space with a diagonal horn. At microwave frequencies, electromagnetic radiation is applied through the coaxial bias port of the mixer block. At higher frequencies the input signal passes via the diagonal horn feed. At each frequency, the incident power is varied and a family of I-V curves is recorded. From the curves we identify 3 distinct regimes of operation of the mixer separated by the phonon relaxation frequency and the superconducting energy gap frequency observed at about 3 GHz and 660 GHz respectively. In this paper, we will present observed curves and discuss the results of our experiment.
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Lobanov YV, Tong C-YE, Hedden AS, Blundell R, Voronov BM, Gol'tsman GN. Direct measurement of the gain and noise bandwidths of HEB mixers. IEEE Trans Appl Supercond. 2011;21(3):645–8.
Abstract: The intermediate frequency (IF) bandwidth of a hot electron bolometer (HEB) mixer is an important parameter of the mixer, in that it helps to determine its suitability for a given application. With the availability of wideband low noise amplifiers, it is simple to measure the performance of an HEB mixer over a wide range of IF at a fixed LO frequency using the standard Y-factor method. This in-situ method allows us to measure both the gain and noise bandwidths simultaneously. We have also measured mixer output impedance with a vector network analyser. Intrinsic time constant has been extracted from the impedance data and compared to the mixer's bandwidths determined from receiver Y-factor measurement.
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Tong CE, Trifonov A, Blundell R, Shurakov A, Gol’tsman G. A digital terahertz power meter based on an NbN thin film [abstract]. In: Proc. 25th Int. Symp. Space Terahertz Technol.; 2014. 170.
Abstract: We have further studied the effect of subjecting a superconducting Hot Electron Bolometer (HEB) element made from an NbN thin film to microwave radiation. Since the photon energy is weak, the microwave radiation does not simply heat the film, but generates a bi-static state, switching between the superconducting and normal states, upon the application of a small voltage bias. Indeed, a relaxation oscillation of a few MHz has previously been reported in this regime [1]. Switching between the superconducting and normal states modulates the reflected microwave pump power from the device. A simple homodyne setup readily recovers the spontaneous switching waveform in the time domain. The switching frequency is a function of both the bias voltage (DC heating) and the applied microwave power. In this work, we use a 0.8 THz HEB waveguide mixer for the purpose of demonstration. The applied microwave pump, coupled through a directional coupler, is at 1 GHz. Since the pump power is of the order of a few μW, a room temperature amplifier is sufficient to amplify the reflected pump power from the HEB mixer, which beats with the microwave source in a homodyne set-up. After further amplification, the switching waveform is passed onto a frequency counter. The typical frequency of the switching pulses is 3-5 MHz. It is found that the digital frequency count increases with higher microwave pump power. When the HEB mixer is subjected to additional optical power at 0.8 THz, the frequency count also increases. When we vary the incident optical power by using a wire grid attenuator, a linear relationship is observed between the frequency count and the applied optical power, over at least an order of magnitude of power. This phenomenon can be exploited to develop a digital power meter, using a very simple electronics setup. Further experiments are under way to determine the range of linearity and the accuracy of calibration transfer from the microwave to the THz regime. References 1. Y. Zhuang, and S. Yngvesson, “Detection and interpretation of bistatic effects in NbN HEB devices,” Proc. 13 th Int. Symp. Space THz Tech., 2002, pp. 463–472.
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Loudkov D, Tong C-YE, Blundell R, Kaurova N, Grishina E, Voronov B, et al. An investigation of the performance of the superconducting HEB mixer as a function of its RF embedding impedance. IEEE Trans Appl Supercond. 2005;15(2):472–5.
Abstract: We have conducted an investigation of the optimal embedding impedance for a waveguide superconducting hot-electron bolometric (HEB) mixer. Three mixer chip designs for 800 GHz, offering nominal embedding resistances of 70 /spl Omega/, 35 /spl Omega/, and 15 /spl Omega/, have been developed. We used both High Frequency Structure Simulator (HFSS) software and scale model impedance measurements in the design process. We subsequently fabricated HEB mixers to these designs using 3-4 nm thick NbN thin film. Receiver noise temperature measurements and Fourier Transform Spectrometer (FTS) scans were performed to determine the optimal combination of embedding impedance and normal-state resistance for a 50 Ohm IF load impedance. A receiver noise temperature of 440 K was measured at a local oscillator frequency 850 GHz for a mixer with normal state resistance of 62 /spl Omega/ incorporated into a circuit offering a nominal embedding impedance of 70 /spl Omega/. We conclude from our data that, for low noise operation, the normal state resistance of the HEB mixer element should be close to the embedding impedance of the mixer mount.
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Loudkov D, Tong C-YE, Blundell R, Kaurova N, Grishina E, Voronov B, et al. An investigation of the performance of the waveguide superconducting HEB mixer at different RF embedding impedances. In: Proc. 16th Int. Symp. Space Terahertz Technol.; 2005. p. 226–9.
Abstract: We have conducted an investigation of the performance of superconducting hot-electron bolometric (HEB) mixer at 800 GHz as a function of the embedding impedance of the waveguide embedding circuit. Using a single half-height mixer block, we have developed three different mixer chip configurations, offering nominal embedding resistances of 70, 35, and 15 Ohms. Both the High Frequency Structure Simulator (HFSS) software and scaled model impedance measurements were employed in the design process. Two batches of HEB mixers were fabricated to these designs using 3-4 nm thick NbN thin film. The mixers were characterized through receiver noise temperature measurements and Fourier Transform Spectrometer (FTS) scans. Briefly, a minimum receiver noise temperature of 440 K was measured at a local oscillator frequency 850 GHz for a mixer of normal state resistance 62 Ohms incorporated into a circuit offering a nominal embedding impedance of 70 Ohms. We conclude from our data that, for low noise operation, the normal state resistance of the HEB mixer element should be close to that of the embedding impedance of the mixer mount.
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Tong C-YE, Meledin D, Blundell R, Erickson N, Kawamura J, Mehdi I, et al. A 1.5 THz hot-electron bolometer mixer operated by a planar diode-based local oscillator [abstract]. In: Proc. 14th Int. Symp. Space Terahertz Technol.; 2003. 286.
Abstract: We describe a 1.5 THz heterodyne receiver based on a superconductin g hot-electron bolometer mixer, which is pumped by an all-solid-state local oscillator chain. The bolometer is fabricated from a 3.5 nm-thick niobium nitride film deposited on a quartz substrate with a 200 nm-thick magnesium oxide buffer layer. The bolometer measures 0.15 fun in width and 1.5 1..tm in length. The chip consisting of the bolometer and mixer circuitry is incorporated in a fixed-tuned waveguide mixer block with a corru g ated feed horn. The local oscillator unit comprises of a cascade of four planar doublers followin g a MMIC-based W-band power amplifier. The local oscillator is coupled to the mixer using a Martin-Puplett interferometer. The local oscillator output power needed for optimal receiver performance is approximately 1 to 2 11W, and the chain is able to provide this power at a number of frequency points between 1.45 and 1.56 THz. By terminating the rf input with room temperature and 77 K loads, a Y-factor of 1.11 (DSB) has been measured at a local oscillator frequency of 1.476 THz at 3 GHz intermediate frequency.
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Meledin D, Tong C-YE, Blundell R, Goltsman G. Measurement of intermediate frequency bandwidth of hot electron bolometer mixers at terahertz frequency range. IEEE Microw Wireless Compon Lett. 2003;13(11):493–5.
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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Tong CE, Blundell R, Papa DC, Smith M, Kawamura J, Gol'tsman G, et al. An all solid-state superconducting heterodyne receiver at terahertz frequencies. IEEE Microw Guid Wave Lett. 1999;9(9):366–8.
Abstract: A superconducting hot-electron bolometer mixer-receiver operating from 1 to 1.26 THz has been developed. This heterodyne receiver employs two solid-state local oscillators each consisting of a Gunn oscillator followed by two stages of varactor frequency multiplication. The measured receiver noise temperature is 1350 K at 1.035 THz and 2700 K at 1.26 THz. This receiver demonstrates that tunable solid-state local oscillators, supplying only a few micro-watts of output power, can be used in terahertz receiver applications.
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0kunev 0., Dzardanov A, Ekstrom H, Jacobsson S, Kollberg E, Gol'tsman G, et al. NbN hot electron waveguide mixer for 100 GHz operation. In: Proc. 5th Int. Symp. Space Terahertz Technol.; 1994. p. 214–24.
Abstract: NbN is a promising superconducting material used to develope hot- electron superconducting mixers with an IF bandwidth over 1 GHz. In the 100 GHz frequency range, the following parameters were obtained for NbN films 50 A thick: the noise temperature of the receiver (DSB) 1000 K; the conversion losses 10 d13, the IF bandwidth 1 GHz; the local oscillator power 1 /LW. An increase of NbN film thickness up to 80-100 A and increase of working temperature up to 7-8 K, and a better mixer matching may allow to broader the IF band up to 3 Gllz, to reduce the conversion losses down to 3-5 dB and the noise tempera- ture down to 200-300 K.
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