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Author (up) Kawamura, J.; Blundell, R.; Tong, C.-Y. E.; Gol'tsman, G.; Gershenzon, E.; Voronov, B. url  openurl
  Title NbN hot-electron mixer measurements at 200 GHz Type Conference Article
  Year 1995 Publication Proc. 6th Int. Symp. Space Terahertz Technol. Abbreviated Journal Proc. 6th Int. Symp. Space Terahertz Technol.  
  Volume Issue Pages 254-261  
  Keywords NbN HEB mixers  
  Abstract We present noise and gain measurements of resistively driven NbN hot-electron mixers near 200 GHz. The device geometry is chosen so that the dominant cooling process of the hot-electrons is their interaction with the lattice. Except for a single batch, the intermediate frequency cut-off of these mixer elements is – 3 700 MHz, and has shown little variation among other batches of devices. At 100 MHz we measured intrinsic mixer losses as low as —3 dB. We measured the noise temperatures at several intermediate frequencies, and for the best de- vice at 137 MHz with 20 MHz bandwidth, we measured 2000 K; using a low-noise first- stage amplifier at 1.5 GHz with 200 MHz bandwidth, the receiver noise temperature measured 2800 K. We estimate that the noise contribution from the mixer is 500 K and the total losses are —15 dB at 137 MHz.  
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  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes Approved no  
  Call Number Serial 1626  
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Author (up) Kawamura, J.; Blundell, R.; Tong, C.-Y. E.; Golts'man, G.; Gershenzon, E.; Voronov B. url  openurl
  Title Superconductive NbN hot-electron bolometric mixer performance at 250 GHz Type Conference Article
  Year 1996 Publication Proc. 7th Int. Symp. Space Terahertz Technol. Abbreviated Journal Proc. 7th Int. Symp. Space Terahertz Technol.  
  Volume Issue Pages 331-336  
  Keywords NbN HEB mixers  
  Abstract Thin film NbN (<40 A) strips are used as waveguide mixer elements. The electron cooling mechanism for the geometry is the electron-phonon interaction. We report a receiver noise temperature of 750 K at 244 GHz, with / IF = 1.5 GHz, Af= 500 MHz, and Tphysical = 4 K. The instantaneous bandwidth for this mixer is 1.6 GHz. The local oscillator (LO) power is 0.5 1.tW with 3 dB-uncertainty. The mixer is linear to 1 dB up to an input power level 6 dB below the LO power. We report the first detection of a molecular line emission using this class of mixer, and that the receiver noise temperature determined from Y-factor measurements reflects the true heterodyne sensitivity.  
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  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
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  ISSN ISBN Medium  
  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes Approved no  
  Call Number Serial 945  
Permanent link to this record
 
 
Author (up) Kawamura, J.; Blundell, R.; Tong, C.-Y. E.; Papa, D. C.; Hunter, T. R.; Paine, S. N.; Patt, F.; Gol'tsman, G.; Cherednichenko, S.; Voronov, B.; Gershenzon, E. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Superconductive hot-electron-bolometer mixer receiver for 800-GHz operation Type Journal Article
  Year 2000 Publication IEEE Trans. Microw. Theory Techn. Abbreviated Journal IEEE Trans. Microw. Theory Techn.  
  Volume 48 Issue 4 Pages 683-689  
  Keywords NbN HEB mixers, LO power, local oscillator power, saturation, linearity, dynamic range  
  Abstract In this paper, we describe a superconductive hot-electron-bolometer mixer receiver designed to operate in the partially transmissive 350-μm atmospheric window. The receiver employs an NbN thin-film microbridge as the mixer element, in which the main cooling mechanism of the hot electrons is through electron-phonon interaction. At a local-oscillator frequency of 808 GHz, the measured double-sideband receiver noise temperature is TRX=970 K, across a 1-GHz intermediate-frequency bandwidth centered at 1.8 GHz. We have measured the linearity of the receiver and the amount of local-oscillator power incident on the mixer for optimal operation, which is PLO&ap;1 μW. This receiver was used in making observations as a facility instrument at the Heinrich Hertz Telescope, Mt. Graham, AZ, during the 1998-1999 winter observing season.  
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  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0018-9480 ISBN Medium  
  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes Approved no  
  Call Number RPLAB @ lobanovyury @ Serial 573  
Permanent link to this record
 
 
Author (up) Kawamura, J.; Tong, C.-Y. E.; Blundell, R.; Papa, D. C.; Hunter, T. R.; Patt, F.; Gol’tsman, G.; Gershenzon, E. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Terahertz-frequency waveguide NbN hot-electron bolometer mixer Type Journal Article
  Year 2001 Publication IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond. Abbreviated Journal IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond.  
  Volume 11 Issue 1 Pages 952-954  
  Keywords NbN HEB mixers  
  Abstract We have developed a low-noise waveguide heterodyne receiver for operation near 1 THz using phonon-cooled NbN hot-electron bolometers. The mixer elements are submicron-sized microbridges of 4 nm-thick NbN film fabricated on a quartz substrate. Operating at a bath temperature of 4.2 K, the double-sideband receiver noise temperature is 760 K at 1.02 THz and 1100 K at 1.26 THz. The local oscillator is provided by solid-state sources, and power measured at the source is less than 1 /spl mu/W. The intermediate frequency bandwidth exceeds 2 GHz. The receiver was used to make the first ground-based heterodyne detection of a celestial spectroscopic line above 1 THz.  
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  Corporate Author Thesis  
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  Language Summary Language Original Title  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1558-2515 ISBN Medium  
  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes Approved no  
  Call Number Serial 1546  
Permanent link to this record
 
 
Author (up) Loudkov, D.; Tong, C.-Y. E.; Blundell, R.; Kaurova, N.; Grishina, E.; Voronov, B.; Gol’tsman, G. url  doi
openurl 
  Title An investigation of the performance of the superconducting HEB mixer as a function of its RF embedding impedance Type Journal Article
  Year 2005 Publication IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond. Abbreviated Journal IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond.  
  Volume 15 Issue 2 Pages 472-475  
  Keywords waveguide NbN HEB mixers  
  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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  ISSN ISBN Medium  
  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes Approved no  
  Call Number 1439677 Serial 1464  
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Author (up) Loudkov, D.; Tong, C.-Y. E.; Marrone, D. P.; Ryabchun, S.; Paine, S. N.; Blundell, R. url  openurl
  Title Transmission measurements of infrared filters for low-noise terahertz receiver applications Type Conference Article
  Year 2005 Publication Proc. 16th Int. Symp. Space Terahertz Technol. Abbreviated Journal Proc. 16th Int. Symp. Space Terahertz Technol.  
  Volume Issue Pages 354-357  
  Keywords FTS, Zitex, alkali halide, crystalline quartz, Parylene, polyethylene, IR filters, transmission, THz applications  
  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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  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes Approved no  
  Call Number Serial 1473  
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Author (up) Meledin, D. V.; Marrone, D. P.; Tong, C.-Y. E.; Gibson, H.; Blundell, R.; Paine, S. N.; Papa, D.C.; Smith, M.; Hunter, T. R.; Battat, J.; Voronov, B.; Gol'tsman, G. url  doi
openurl 
  Title A 1-THz superconducting hot-electron-bolometer receiver for astronomical observations Type Journal Article
  Year 2004 Publication IEEE Trans. Microwave Theory Techn. Abbreviated Journal IEEE Trans. Microwave Theory Techn.  
  Volume 52 Issue 10 Pages 2338-2343  
  Keywords NbN HEB mixer, applications  
  Abstract In this paper, we describe a superconducting hot-electron-bolometer mixer receiver developed to operate in atmospheric windows between 800-1300 GHz. The receiver uses a waveguide mixer element made of 3-4-nm-thick NbN film deposited over crystalline quartz. This mixer yields double-sideband receiver noise temperatures of 1000 K at around 1.0 THz, and 1600 K at 1.26 THz, at an IF of 3.0 GHz. The receiver was successfully tested in the laboratory using a gas cell as a spectral line test source. It is now in use on the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory terahertz test telescope in northern Chile.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
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  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0018-9480 ISBN Medium  
  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes Approved no  
  Call Number Serial 1484  
Permanent link to this record
 
 
Author (up) Meledin, D.; Tong, C.-Y. E.; Blundell, R.; Goltsman, G. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Measurement of intermediate frequency bandwidth of hot electron bolometer mixers at terahertz frequency range Type Journal Article
  Year 2003 Publication IEEE Microw. Wireless Compon. Lett. Abbreviated Journal IEEE Microw. Wireless Compon. Lett.  
  Volume 13 Issue 11 Pages 493-495  
  Keywords waveguide NbN HEB mixers  
  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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  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1531-1309 ISBN Medium  
  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes Approved no  
  Call Number Serial 1509  
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Author (up) Ryabchun, S.; Tong, C.-Y. E.; Blundell, R.; Kimberk, R.; Gol'tsman, G. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Study of the effect of microwave radiation on the operation of HEB mixers in the terahertz frequency range Type Journal Article
  Year 2007 Publication IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond. Abbreviated Journal IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond.  
  Volume 17 Issue 2 Pages 391-394  
  Keywords NbN HEB mixers  
  Abstract We have investigated the effect of injecting microwave radiation, with a frequency much lower than that corresponding to the energy gap of the superconductor, on the performance of the hot-electron bolometer mixer incorporated into a THz heterodyne receiver. More specifically, we show that exposing the mixer to microwave radiation does not cause a significant rise of the receiver noise temperature and fall of the mixer conversion gain so long as the microwave power is a small fraction of local oscillator power. The injection of a small, but controlled amount of microwave power therefore enables active compensation of local oscillator power and coupling fluctuations which can significantly degrade the gain stability of hot electron bolometer mixer receivers.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Summary Language Original Title  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1051-8223 ISBN Medium  
  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes Approved no  
  Call Number Serial 1427  
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Author (up) Shurakov, A.; Tong, C.-Y. E.; Blundell, R.; Kaurova, N.; Voronov, B.; Gol'tsman, G. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Microwave stabilization of a HEB mixer in a pulse-tube cryocooler Type Journal Article
  Year 2013 Publication IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond. Abbreviated Journal IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond.  
  Volume 23 Issue 3 Pages 1501504-1501504  
  Keywords NbN HEB mixers  
  Abstract We report the results of our study of the stability of an 800 GHz hot electron bolometer (HEB) mixer cooled with a pulse-tube cryocooler. Pulse-tube cryocoolers introduce temperature fluctuations as well as mechanical vibrations at a frequency of ~1 Hz, both of which can cause receiver gain fluctuations at that frequency. In our system, the motor of the cryocooler was separated from the cryostat to minimize mechanical vibrations, leaving thermal effects as the dominant source of the receiver gain fluctuations. We measured root mean square temperature variations of the 4 K stage of ~7 mK. The HEB mixer was pumped by a solid state local oscillator at 810 GHz. The root mean square current fluctuations at the low noise operating point (1.50 mV, 56.5 μA) were ~0.12 μA, and were predominantly due to thermal fluctuations. To stabilize the bias current, microwave radiation was injected to the HEB mixer. The injected power level was set by a proportional-integral-derivative controller, which completely compensates for the bias current oscillations induced by the pulse-tube cryocooler. Significant improvement in the Allan variance of the receiver output power was obtained, and an Allan time of 5 s was measured.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Summary Language Original Title  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1051-8223 ISBN Medium  
  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes Approved no  
  Call Number Serial 1372  
Permanent link to this record
 
 
Author (up) Tong, C.-Y. E.; Meledin, D.; Loudkov, D.; Blundell, R.; Erickson, N.; Kawamura, J.; Mehdi, I.; Gol’tsman, G. url  doi
openurl 
  Title A 1.5 THz Hot-Electron Bolometer mixer operated by a planar diode based local oscillator Type Conference Article
  Year 2003 Publication IEEE MTT-S Int. Microwave Symp. Digest Abbreviated Journal IEEE MTT-S Int. Microwave Symp. Digest  
  Volume 2 Issue Pages 751-754  
  Keywords waveguide NbN HEB mixers  
  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.  
  Address Philadelphia, PA, USA  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
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  Language Summary Language Original Title  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN ISBN Medium  
  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes Approved no  
  Call Number Serial 1516  
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Author (up) Tong, C.-Y. E.; Trifonov, A.; Shurakov, A.; Blundell, R.; Gol’tsman, G. url  doi
openurl 
  Title A microwave-operated hot-electron-bolometric power detector for terahertz radiation Type Journal Article
  Year 2015 Publication IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond. Abbreviated Journal IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond.  
  Volume 25 Issue 3 Pages 2300604 (1 to 4)  
  Keywords NbN HEB mixer  
  Abstract A new class of microwave-operated THz power detectors based on the NbN hot-electron-bolometer (HEB) mixer is proposed. The injected microwave signal ( 1 GHz) serves the dual purpose of pumping the HEB element and enabling the read-out of the internal state of the device. A cryogenic amplifier amplifies the reflected microwave signal from the device and a homodyne scheme recovers the effects of the incident THz radiation. Two modes of operation have been identified, depending on the level of incident radiation. For weak signals, we use a chopper to chop the incident radiation against a black body reference and a lock-in amplifier to perform synchronous detection of the homodyne readout. The voltage measured is proportional to the incident power, and we estimate an optical noise equivalent power of  5pW/ √Hz at 0.83 THz. At higher signal levels, the homodyne circuit recovers the stream of steady relaxation oscillation pulses from the HEB device. The frequency of these pulses is in the MHz frequency range and bears a linear relationship with the incident THz radiation over an input power range of  15 dB. A digital frequency counter is used to measure THz power. The applicable power range is between 1 nW and 1 μW.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Summary Language Original Title  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1558-2515 ISBN Medium  
  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes Approved no  
  Call Number Serial 1354  
Permanent link to this record
 
 
Author (up) Trifonov, A.; Tong, C.-Y. E.; Blundell, R.; Ryabchun, S.; Gol'tsman, G. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Probing the stability of HEB mixers with microwave injection Type Journal Article
  Year 2015 Publication IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond. Abbreviated Journal IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond.  
  Volume 25 Issue 3 Pages 2300404 (1 to 4)  
  Keywords NbN HEB mixer, stability, Allan-variance  
  Abstract Using a microwave probe as a tool, we have performed experiments aimed at understanding the origin of the output-power fluctuations in hot-electron-bolometer (HEB) mixers. We use a probe frequency of 1.5 GHz. The microwave probe picks up impedance changes of the HEB, which are examined upon demodulation of the reflected wave outside the cryostat. This study shows that the HEB mixer operates in two different regimes under a terahertz pump. At a low pumping level, strong pulse modulation is observed, as the device switches between the superconducting state and the normal state at a rate of a few megahertz. When pumped much harder, to approximate the low-noise mixer operating point, residual modulation can still be observed, showing that the HEB mixer is intrinsically unstable even in the resistive state. Based on these observations, we introduced a low-frequency termination to the HEB mixer. By terminating the device in a 50-Ω resistor in the megahertz frequency range, we have been able to improve the output-power Allan time of our HEB receiver by a factor of four to about 10 s for a detection bandwidth of 15 MHz, with a corresponding gain fluctuation of about 0.035%.  
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  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Summary Language Original Title  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1051-8223 ISBN Medium  
  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes Approved no  
  Call Number Serial 1355  
Permanent link to this record
 
 
Author (up) Trifonov, A.; Tong, C.-Y. E.; Grimes, P.; Lobanov, Y.; Kaurova, N.; Blundell, R.; Goltsman, G. doi  openurl
  Title Development of A Silicon Membrane-based Multi-pixel Hot Electron Bolometer Receiver Type Conference Article
  Year 2017 Publication IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond. Abbreviated Journal IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond.  
  Volume 27 Issue 4 Pages 6  
  Keywords Multi-pixel, HEB, silicon-on-insulator, horn array  
  Abstract We report on the development of a multi-pixel

Hot Electron Bolometer (HEB) receiver fabricated using

silicon membrane technology. The receiver comprises a

2 × 2 array of four HEB mixers, fabricated on a single

chip. The HEB mixer chip is based on a superconducting

NbN thin film deposited on top of the silicon-on-insulator

(SOI) substrate. The thicknesses of the device layer and

handling layer of the SOI substrate are 20 μm and 300 μm

respectively. The thickness of the device layer is chosen

such that it corresponds to a quarter-wave in silicon at

1.35 THz. The HEB mixer is integrated with a bow-tie

antenna structure, in turn designed for coupling to a

circular waveguide,		  
  Address  
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  ISSN ISBN Medium  
  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes Approved no  
  Call Number RPLAB @ kovalyuk @ Serial 1111  
Permanent link to this record
 
 
Author (up) Trifonov, A.; Tong, C.-Y. E.; Grimes, P.; Lobanov, Y.; Kaurova, N.; Blundell, R.; Goltsman, G. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Development of a silicon membrane-based multipixel hot electron bolometer receiver Type Journal Article
  Year 2017 Publication IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond. Abbreviated Journal IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond.  
  Volume 27 Issue 4 Pages 1-5  
  Keywords Multi-pixel, NbN HEB, silicon-on-insulator, horn array  
  Abstract We report on the development of a multipixel hot electron bolometer (HEB) receiver fabricated using silicon membrane technology. The receiver comprises a 2 × 2 array of four HEB mixers, fabricated on a single chip. The HEB mixer chip is based on a superconducting NbN thin-film deposited on top of the silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrate. The thicknesses of the device layer and handling layer of the SOI substrate are 20 and 300 μm, respectively. The thickness of the device layer is chosen such that it corresponds to a quarter-wave in silicon at 1.35 THz. The HEB mixer is integrated with a bow-tie antenna structure, in turn designed for coupling to a circular waveguide, fed by a monolithic drilled smooth-walled horn array.  
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  Corporate Author Thesis  
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  Language Summary Language Original Title  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1051-8223 ISBN Medium  
  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes Approved no  
  Call Number Serial 1324  
Permanent link to this record
 
 
Author (up) Trifonov, A.; Tong, C.-Y. E.; Lobanov, Y.; Kaurova, N.; Blundell, R.; Goltsman, G. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Photon absorption near the gap frequency in a hot electron bolometer Type Journal Article
  Year 2017 Publication IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond. Abbreviated Journal IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond.  
  Volume 27 Issue 4 Pages 1-4  
  Keywords NBN HEB mixer  
  Abstract The superconducting energy gap is a fundamental characteristic of a superconducting film, which, together with the applied pump power and the biasing setup, defines the instantaneous resistive state of the Hot Electron Bolometer (HEB) mixer at any given bias point on the I-V curve. In this paper we report on a series of experiments, in which we subjected the HEB to radiation over a wide frequency range along with parallel microwave injection. We have observed three distinct regimes of operation of the HEB, depending on whether the radiation is above the gap frequency, far below it or close to it. These regimes are driven by the different patterns of photon absorption. The experiments have allowed us to derive the approximate gap frequency of the device under test as about 585 GHz. Microwave injection was used to probe the HEB impedance. Spontaneous switching between the superconducting (low resistive) state and a quasi-normal (high resistive) state was observed. The switching pattern depends on the particular regime of HEB operation and can assume a random pattern at pump frequencies below the gap to a regular relaxation oscillation running at a few MHz when pumped above the gap.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
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  Language Summary Language Original Title  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1558-2515 ISBN Medium  
  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes Approved no  
  Call Number Serial 1331  
Permanent link to this record
 
 
Author (up) Trifonov, A.; Tong, C.-Y. E.; Lobanov, Y.; Kaurova, N.; Blundell, R.; Goltsman, G. url  openurl
  Title Gap frequency and photon absorption in a hot electron bolometer Type Conference Article
  Year 2016 Publication Proc. 27th Int. Symp. Space Terahertz Technol. Abbreviated Journal Proc. 27th Int. Symp. Space Terahertz Technol.  
  Volume Issue Pages 121  
  Keywords NbN HEB; Si membrane  
  Abstract The superconducting energy gap is a crucial parameter of a superconductor when used in mixing applications. In the case of the SIS mixer, the mixing process is efficient for frequencies below the energy gap, whereas, in the case of the HEB mixer, the mixing process is most efficient at frequencies above the gap, where photon absorption takes place more readily. We have investigated the photon absorption phenomenon around the gap frequency of HEB mixers based on NbN films deposited on silicon membranes. Apart from studying the pumped I-V curves of HEB devices, we have also probed them with microwave radiation, as previously described [1]. At frequencies far below the gap frequency, the pumped I-V curves show abrupt switching between the superconducting and resistive states. For the NbN HEB mixers we tested, which have critical temperatures of ~9 K, this is true for frequencies below about 400 GHz. As the pump frequency is increased beyond 400 GHz, the resistive state extends towards zero bias and at some point a small region of negative differential resistance appears close to zero bias. In this region, the microwave probe reveals that the device impedance is changing randomly with time. As the pump frequency is further increased, this random impedance change develops into relaxation oscillations, which can be observed by the demodulation of the reflected microwave probe. Initially, these oscillations take the form of several frequencies grouped together under an envelope. As we approach the gap frequency, the multiple frequency relaxation oscillations coalesce into a single frequency of a few MHz. The resultant square-wave nature of the oscillation is a clear indication that the device is in a bi-stable state, switching between the superconducting and normal state. Above the gap frequency, it is possible to obtain a pumped I-V curve with no negative differential resistance above a threshold pumping level. Below this pumping level, the device demonstrates bi-stability, and regular relaxation oscillation at a few MHz is observed as a function of pump power. The threshold pumping level is clearly related to the amount of power absorbed by the device and its phonon cooling. From the above experiment, we can derive the gap frequency of the NbN film, which is 585 GHz for our 6 μm thin silicon membrane-based device. We also confirm that the HEB mixer is not an efficient photon absorber for radiation below the gap frequency. 1. A. Trifonov et al., “Probing the stability of HEB mixers with microwave injection”, IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond., vol. 25, no. 3, June 2015.  
  Address  
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  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN ISBN Medium  
  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes Approved no  
  Call Number Serial 1204  
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