Semenov AD, Gousev YP, Renk KF, Voronov BM, Gol'tsman GN, Gershenzon EM, et al. Noise characteristics of a NbN hot-electron mixer at 2.5 THz. IEEE Trans Appl Supercond. 1997;7(2):3572–5.
Abstract: The noise temperature of a NbN phonon cooled hot-electron mixer has been measured at a frequency of 2.5 THz for various operating conditions. We obtained for optimal operation a double sideband mixer noise temperature of /spl ap/14000 K and a system conversion loss of /spl ap/23 dB at intermediate frequencies up to 1 GHz. The dependences of the mixer noise temperature on the bias voltage, local oscillator power, and intermediate frequency were consistent with the phenomenological description based on the effective temperature approximation.
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Svechnikov S, Gol'tsman G, Voronov B, Yagoubov P, Cherednichenko S, Gershenzon E, et al. Spiral antenna NbN hot-electron bolometer mixer at submm frequencies. IEEE Trans Appl Supercond. 1997;7(2):3395–8.
Abstract: We have studied the phonon-cooled hot-electron bolometer (HEB) as a quasioptical mixer based on a spiral antenna designed for the 0.3-1 THz frequency band and fabricated on sapphire and high resistivity silicon substrates. HEB devices were produced from superconducting 3.5-5 nm thick NbN films with a critical temperature 10-12 K and a critical current density of approximately 10/sup 7/ A/cm/sup 2/ at 4.2 K. For these devices we reached a DSB receiver noise temperature below 1500 K, a total conversion loss of L/sub t/=16 dB in the 500-700 GHz frequency range, an IF bandwidth of 3-4 GHz and an optimal LO absorbed power of /spl sime/4 /spl mu/W. We experimentally analyzed various contributions to the conversion loss and obtained an RF coupling factor of about 5 dB, internal mixer loss of 10 dB and IF mismatch of 1 dB.
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Semenov AD, Heusinger MA, Renk KF, Menschikov E, Sergeev AV, Elant'ev AI, et al. Influence of phonon trapping on the performance of NbN kinetic inductance detectors. IEEE Trans Appl Supercond. 1997;7(2):3083–6.
Abstract: Voltage and microwave photoresponse of NbN thin films to modulated and pulsed optical radiation reveals, far below the superconducting transition, a response time consistent with the lifetime of nonequilibrium quasiparticles. We show that even in 5 nm thick films at 4.2 K the phonon trapping is significant resulting in a quasiparticle lifetime of a few nanoseconds that is an order of magnitude larger than the recombination time. Values and temperature dependence of the quasiparticle lifetime obey the Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer theory and are in quantitative agreement with the electron-phonon relaxation rate determined from the resistive response near the superconducting transition. We discuss a positive effect of the phonon trapping on the performance of kinetic inductance detectors.
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Semenov AD, Gousev YP, Nebosis RS, Renk KF, Yagoubov P, Voronov BM, et al. Heterodyne detection of THz radiation with a superconducting hot‐electron bolometer mixer. Appl Phys Lett. 1996;69(2):260–2.
Abstract: We report on the use of a superconducting hot‐electron bolometer mixer for heterodyne detection of terahertz radiation. Radiation with a wavelength of 119 μm was coupled to the mixer, a NbN microbridge, by a hybrid quasioptical antenna consisting of an extended hyperhemispherical lens and a planar logarithmic spiral antenna. We found, at an intermediate frequency of 1.5 GHz, a system double side band noise temperature of ≊40 000 K and conversion losses of 25 dB. We also discuss the possibilities of further improvement of the mixer performance.
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Yagoubov P, Gol'tsman G, Voronov B, Svechnikov S, Cherednichenko S, Gershenzon E, et al. Quasioptical phonon-cooled NbN hot-electron bolometer mixer at THz frequencies. In: Proc. 7th Int. Symp. Space Terahertz Technol.; 1996. p. 303–17.
Abstract: In our experiments we tested phonon-cooled hot-electron bolometer (HEB) quasioptical mixer based on spiral antenna designed for 0.5-1.2 THz frequency band and fabricated on sapphire, Si-coated sapphire and high resistivity silicon substrates. HEB devices were produced from thin superconducting NbN film 3.5-6 nm thick with the critical temperature of about 11-12 K. For these devices we achieved the receiver noise temperature T R (DSB) = 3000 K in the 500-700 GHz frequency range and an IF bandwidth of 3-4 GHz. Prelimanary measurements at frequencies 1-1.2 THz resulted the receiver noise temperature about 9000 K (DSB).
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