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Author 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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  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1051-8223 ISBN Medium  
  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes (up) Approved no  
  Call Number Serial 1355  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author 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,
 
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  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes (up) Approved no  
  Call Number RPLAB @ kovalyuk @ Serial 1111  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Lusche, R.; Semenov, A.; Ilin, K.; Siegel, M.; Korneeva, Y.; Trifonov, A.; Korneev, A.; Goltsman, G.; Vodolazov, D.; Hübers, H.-W. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Effect of the wire width on the intrinsic detection efficiency of superconducting-nanowire single-photon detectors Type Journal Article
  Year 2014 Publication J. Appl. Phys. Abbreviated Journal J. Appl. Phys.  
  Volume 116 Issue 4 Pages 043906 (1 to 9)  
  Keywords NbN SSPD, SNSPD, TaN  
  Abstract A thorough spectral study of the intrinsic single-photon detection efficiency in superconducting TaN and NbN nanowires with different widths has been performed. The experiment shows that the cut-off of the intrinsic detection efficiency at near-infrared wavelengths is most likely controlled by the local suppression of the barrier for vortex nucleation around the absorption site. Beyond the cut-off quasi-particle diffusion in combination with spontaneous, thermally activated vortex crossing explains the detection process. For both materials, the reciprocal cut-off wavelength scales linearly with the wire width where the scaling factor agrees with the hot-spot detection model.  
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  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0021-8979 ISBN Medium  
  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes (up) Approved no  
  Call Number Serial 1357  
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Author Antipov, S.; Trifonov, A.; Krause, S.; Meledin, D.; Desmaris, V.; Belitsky, V.; Gol’tsman, G. openurl 
  Title Gain bandwidth of NbN HEB mixers on GaN buffer layer operating at 2 THz local oscillator frequency Type Conference Article
  Year 2017 Publication Proc. 28th Int. Symp. Space Terahertz Technol. Abbreviated Journal Proc. 28th Int. Symp. Space Terahertz Technol.  
  Volume Issue Pages 147-148  
  Keywords NbN HEB mixers, GaN buffer-layer, IF bandwidth  
  Abstract In this paper, we present IF bandwidth measurement results of NbN HEB mixers, which are employing NbN thin films grown on a GaN buffer-layer. The HEB mixers were operated in the heterodyne regime at a bath temperature of approximately 4.5 K and with a local oscillator operating at a frequency of 2 THz. A quantum cascade laser served as the local oscillator and a reference synthesizer based on a BWO generator (130-160 GHz) and a semiconductor superlattice (SSL) frequency multiplier was used as a signal source. By changing the LO frequency it was possible to record the IF response or gain bandwidth of the HEB with a spectrum analyzer at the operation point, which yielded lowest noise temperature. The gain bandwidth that was recorded in the heterodyne regime at 2 THz amounts to approximately 5 GHz and coincides well with a measurement that has been performed at elevated bath temperatures and lower LO frequency of 140 GHz. These findings strongly support that by using a GaN buffer-layer the phonon escape time of NbN HEBs can be significantly lower as compared to e.g. Si substrate, thus, providing higher gain bandwidth.  
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  Notes (up) Approved no  
  Call Number Serial 1175  
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Author 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.  
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  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
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  ISSN ISBN Medium  
  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes (up) Approved no  
  Call Number Serial 1204  
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