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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Gerecht E, Musante CF, Wang Z, Yngvesson KS, Mueller ER, Waldman J, et al. Optimization of hot eleciron bolometer mixing efficiency in NbN at 119 micrometer wavelength. In: Proc. 7th Int. Symp. Space Terahertz Technol.; 1996. p. 584–600.
Abstract: We describe an investigation of a NbN HEB mixer for 2.5 THz. An intrinsic conversion loss of 23 dB has been measured with a two-laser measurement technique. The conversion loss was limited by the LO power available and is expected to decrease to 10 dB or less when sufficient LO power is available. For this initial experiment we used a prototype device which is directly coupled to the laser beams. We present results for a back-short technique that improves the optical coupling to the device and describe our progress for an antenna-coupled device with a smaller dimension. Based on our measured data for conversion loss and device output noise level, we predict that NbN HEB mixers will be capable of achieving DSB receiver noise temperatures of ten times the quantum noise limit in the THz range.
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Kawamura J, Blundell R, Tong C-YE, Gol'tsman G, Gershenzon E, Voronov B, et al. Phonon-cooled NbN HEB mixers for submillimeter wavelengths. In: Proc. 8th Int. Symp. Space Terahertz Technol.; 1997. p. 23–8.
Abstract: The noise performance of receivers incorporating NbN phonon-cooled superconducting hot electron bolometric mixers is measured from 200 GHz to 900 GHz. The mixer elements are thin-film (thickness — 4 nm) NbN with —5 to 40 pm area fabricated on crystalline quartz sub- strates. The receiver noise temperature from 200 GHz to 900 GHz demonstrates no unexpected degradation with increasing frequency, being roughly TRx ,; 1-2 K The best receiver noise temperatures are 410 K (DSB) at 430 GHz, 483 K at 636 GHz, and 1150 K at 800 GHz.
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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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