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Wild W, de Graauw T, Baryshev A, Bos A, Gao JR, Gunst A, et al. Terahertz technology for ESPRIT – a far-infrared space interferometer. In: Proc. 16th Int. Symp. Space Terahertz Technol. Göteborg, Sweden; 2005.
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Gao GR, Hovenier JN, Yang ZQ, Baselmans JJA, Baryshev A, Hajenius M, et al. A novel terahertz heterodyne receiver based on a quantum cascade laser and a superconducting bolometer. In: Proc. 16th Int. Symp. Space Terahertz Technol. Göteborg, Sweden; 2005. p. 19–23.
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Zhang W, Jiang L, Lin ZH, Yao QJ, Li J, Shi SC, et al. Development of a quasi-optical NbN superconducting HEB mixer. In: Proc. 16th Int. Symp. Space Terahertz Technol.; 2005. p. 209–13.
Abstract: In this paper, we report the performance of a quasi-optical NbN superconducting HEB (hot electron bolometer) mixer measured at 500 and 850GHz. The quasi-optical NbN superconducting HEB mixer is cryogenically cooled by a 4-K close-cycled refrigerator. Measured receiver noise temperature at 850 and 500GHz are 3000K and 2500K respectively with wire grid as beamsplitter, while the lowest receiver noise temperature is found to be approximately 1200K with Mylar film. The theoretical receiver noise temperature (taking into account the elliptical polarization of log-spiral antenna) is consistent with measured one. The receiver noise temperature and conversion gain with 15-μm Mylar film as the beamsplitter at 500GHz are thoroughly investigated for different LO pumping levels and dc biases. The stability of the mixer’s IF output power is also demonstrated.
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Loudkov D, Tong C-YE, Marrone DP, Ryabchun S, Paine SN, Blundell R. Transmission measurements of infrared filters for low-noise terahertz receiver applications. In: Proc. 16th Int. Symp. Space Terahertz Technol.; 2005. p. 354–7.
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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Baselmans J, Kooi J, Baryshev A, Yang ZQ, Hajenius M, Gao JR, et al. Full characterization of small volume NbN HEB mixers for space applications. In: Proc. 16th Int. Symp. Space Terahertz Technol. Göteborg, Sweden; 2005. p. 457–62.
Abstract: NbN phonon cooled HEB’s are one of the most promising bolometer mixer technologies for (near) future (space) applications. Their performance is usually quantified by mea- suring the receiver noise temperature at a given IF frequency, usually around 1 – 2 GHz. However, for any real applications it is vital that one fully knows all the relevant properties of the mixer, including LO power, stability, direct detection, gain bandwidth and noise bandwidth, not only the noise temperature at low IF frequencies. To this aim we have measured all these parameters at the optimal operating point of one single, small volume quasioptical NbN HEB mixer. We find a minimum noise temperature of 900 K at 1.46 THz. We observe a direct detection effect indicated by a change in bias current when changing from a 300 K hot load to a 77 K cold load. Due to this effect we overestimate the noise temperature by about 22% using a 300 K hot load and a 77 K cold load. The LO power needed to reach the optimal operating point is 80 nW at the receiver lens front, 59 nW inside the NbN bridge. However, using the isothermal technique we find a power absorbed in the NbN bridge of 25 nW, a difference of about a factor 2. We obtain a gain bandwidth of 2.3 GHz and a noise bandwidth of 4 GHz. The system Allan time is about 1 sec. in a 50 MHz spectral bandwidth and a deviation from white noise integration (governed by the radiometer equation) occurs at 0.2 sec., which implies a maximum integration time of a few seconds in a 1 MHz bandwidth spectrometer.
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