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Baselmans, J. J. A., Hajenius, M., Gao, J. R., Klapwijk, T. M., de Korte, P. A. J., Voronov, B., et al. (2003). Noise performance of NbN hot electron bolometer mixers at 2.5 THz and its dependence on the contact resistance. In Proc. 14th Int. Symp. Space Terahertz Technol. (pp. 11–19).
Abstract: NbN hot electron bolometer mixers (HEBM) are at this moment the best heterodyne receivers for frequencies above 1 Thz. However, the fabrication procedure of these devices is such that the quality of the interface between the NbN superconducting film and the contact structure is not under good control. The result is a low transparency interface between the bolometer itself and the contact/antenna structure. In this paper we report a detailed experimental study on a novel idea to increase the transparency of this interface. This leads to a record sensitivity and more reproducible performance. We compare identical bolometers, coupled with a spiral antenna, with different NbN bolometer-contact pad interfaces. We find that cleaning the NbN interface alone results in an increase in the noise temperature. However, cleaning the NbN interface and adding a thin additional superconductor prior to the gold contact deposition improves the noise temperature of the HEBm with more than a factor of 2. A device with a contact pad on top of an in-situ cleaned NbN film consisting of 10 nm of NbTiN and 40 nm of gold has a DSB noise temperature of 1050 K at 2.5 THz.
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Semenov, A. D., Hiibers, H. - W., Richter, H., Smirnov, K., Gol'tsman, G. N., Kaurova, N., et al. (2003). Superconducting hot-electron bolometer mixer for terahertz heterodyne receivers. In Proc. 14th Int. Symp. Space Terahertz Technol. (pp. 33–40).
Abstract: A number of on-going astronomical and atmospheric research programs are aimed to the Terahertz (THz) spectral region. At frequencies above about 1.4 THz heterodyne receivers planned for these missions will use superconducting hot-electron bolometers as a mixers. We present recent results of the terahertz antenna development of superconducting NbN hot-electron bolometer mixer for GREAT (German Receiver for Astronomy at Terahertz Frequencies, to be used aboard of SOFIA) and TELIS (Terahertz Limb Sounder). The mixer is incorporated into hybrid antenna consisting of a planar feed antenna, which has either logarithmic spiral or double-slot configuration, and hyper hemispherical silicon lens. The hybrid antenna showed almost frequency independent and symmetric radiation pattern with the beam-width slightly broader than expected for diffraction limited antenna. The noise temperature as well as its spectral dependence changes with the bolometer sizes that provides additional tool for mixer optimization. FTS spectra measured in the direct detection regime agreed with the noise temperature spectra.
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Yagoubov, P. L., Hoogeveen, R. W. M., Maurellis, A. M., Mair, U., Krocka, M., Wagner, G., et al. (2003). TELIS — development of a new balloon borne THz/submm heterodyne limb sounder. In Proc. 14th Int. Symp. Space Terahertz Technol. (pp. 204–214).
Abstract: We present a design concept for a new state-of-the-art balloon borne atmospheric monitor that will allow enhanced limb sounding of the Earth's atmosphere within the submillimeter and far-infrared wavelength spectral range: TELIS, TErahertz and submm LImb Sounder. The instrument is being developed by a consortium of major European institutes that includes the Space Research Organisation of the Netherlands (SRON), the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL) in the United Kingdom and the Deutschen Zentrum far Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR) in Germany (lead institute). TELIS will utilise state-of-the-art superconducting heterodyne technology and is designed to be a compact, lightweight instrument capable of providing broad spectral coverage, high spectral resolution and long flight duration (-24 hours duration during a single flight campaign). The combination of high sensitivity and extensive flight duration will allow evaluation of the diurnal variation of key atmospheric constituents such as OH, HO,, C10, BrO together will longer lived constituents such as 0 3 , HCL and N 2 0. Furthermore, TELIS will share a common balloon platform to that of the MIPAS-B Fourier Transform Spectrometer, developed by the Institute of Meteorology and Climate research of the University of Karlsruhe, Germany. MIPAS-B will provide simultaneous and complementary spectral measurements over an extended spectral range. The combination of the TELIS and MIPAS instruments will provide atmospheric scientists with a very powerful observational tool. TELIS will serve as a testbed for new cryogenic heterodyne detection techniques, and as such it will act as a prelude to future spacebome instruments planned by the European Space Agency (ESA).
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Tong, C. - Y. E., Meledin, D., Blundell, R., Erickson, N., Kawamura, J., Mehdi, I., et al. (2003). A 1.5 THz hot-electron bolometer mixer operated by a planar diode-based local oscillator. In Proc. 14th Int. Symp. Space Terahertz Technol. (286).
Abstract: We describe a 1.5 THz heterodyne receiver based on a superconductin g hot-electron bolometer mixer, which is pumped by an all-solid-state local oscillator chain. The bolometer is fabricated from a 3.5 nm-thick niobium nitride film deposited on a quartz substrate with a 200 nm-thick magnesium oxide buffer layer. The bolometer measures 0.15 fun in width and 1.5 1..tm in length. The chip consisting of the bolometer and mixer circuitry is incorporated in a fixed-tuned waveguide mixer block with a corru g ated feed horn. The local oscillator unit comprises of a cascade of four planar doublers followin g a MMIC-based W-band power amplifier. The local oscillator is coupled to the mixer using a Martin-Puplett interferometer. The local oscillator output power needed for optimal receiver performance is approximately 1 to 2 11W, and the chain is able to provide this power at a number of frequency points between 1.45 and 1.56 THz. By terminating the rf input with room temperature and 77 K loads, a Y-factor of 1.11 (DSB) has been measured at a local oscillator frequency of 1.476 THz at 3 GHz intermediate frequency.
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Smirnov, K. V., Vachtomin, Y. B., Antipov, S. V., Maslennikov, S. N., Kaurova, N. S., Drakinsky, V. N., et al. (2003). Noise and gain performance of spiral antenna coupled HEB mixers at 0.7 THz and 2.5 THz. In Proc. 14th Int. Symp. Space Terahertz Technol. (pp. 405–412).
Abstract: Noise and gain performance of hot electron bolometer (HEB) mixers based on ultrathin superconducting NbN films integrated with a spiral antenna was studied. The noise temperature measurements for two samples with different active area of 3 p.m x 0.24 .tni and 1.3 1..tm x 0.12 1.tm were performed at frequencies 0.7 THz and 2.5 THz. The best receiver noise temperatures 370 K and 1600 K, respectively, have been found at these frequencies. The influence of contact resistance between the superconductor and the antenna terminals on the noise temperature of HEB is discussed. The noise and gain bandwidth of 5GHz and 4.2 GHz, respectively, are demonstrated for similar HEB mixer at 0.75 THz.
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Vahtomin, Y. B., Finkel, M. I., Antipov, S. V., Voronov, B. M., Smirnov, K. V., Kaurova, N. S., et al. (2002). Gain bandwidth of phonon-cooled HEB mixer made of NbN thin film with MgO buffer layer on Si. In Harvard university (Ed.), Proc. 13th Int. Symp. Space Terahertz Technol. (pp. 259–270). Cambridge, MA, USA.
Abstract: We present recently obtained values for gain bandwidth of NbN HEB mixers for different substrates and film thicknesses and for MgO buffer layer on Si at LO frequency of 0.85-1 THz. The maximal bandwidth, 5.2 GHz, was achieved for the device on MgO buffer layer on Si with a 2 nm thick NbN film. Functional devices based on NbN films of such thickness were fabricated for the first time due to an improvement of superconducting properties of NbN film deposited on MgO buffer layer on Si substrate.
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Meledin, D., Tong, C. Y. - E., Blundell, R., Kaurova, N., Smirnov, K., Voronov, B., et al. (2002). The sensitivity and IF bandwidth of waveguide NbN hot electron bolometer mixers on MgO buffer layers over crystalline quartz. In Harvard university (Ed.), Proc. 13th Int. Symp. Space Terahertz Technol. (pp. 65–72). Cambridge, MA, USA.
Abstract: We have developed and characterized waveguide phonon-cooled NbN Hot Electron Bolometer (FMB) mixers fabricated from a 3-4 nm thick NbN film deposited on a 200nm thick MgO buffer layer over crystalline quartz. Double side band receiver noise temperatures of 900-1050 K at 1.035 THz, and 1300-1400 K at 1.26 THz have been measured at an intermediate frequency of 1.5 GHz. The intermediate frequency bandwidth, measured at 0.8 THz LO frequency, is 3.2 GHz at the optimal bias point for low noise receiver operation.
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Cherednichenko, S., Kroug, M., Khosropanah, P., Adam, A., Merkel, H., Kolberg, E., et al. (2002). A broadband terahertz heterodyne receiver with an NbN HEB mixer. In Harward University (Ed.), Proc. 13th Int. Symp. Space Terahertz Technol. (pp. 85–95). Cambridge, MA, USA.
Abstract: We present a broadband and low noise heterodyne receiver for 1.4-1.7 THz designed for the Hershel Space Observatory. A phonon- cooled NbN HEB mixer was integrated with a normal metal double- slot antenna and an elliptical silicon lens. DSB receiver noise temperature Tr was measured from 1 GHz through 8GHz intermediate frequency band with 50 MHz instantaneous bandwidth. At 4.2 K bath temperature and at 1.6 THz LO frequency Tr is 800 K with the receiver noise bandwidth of 5 GHz. While at 2 K bath temperature Tr was as low as 700 K. At 0.6 THz and 1.1 THz a spiral antenna integrated NbN HEB mixer showed the receiver noise temperature 500 K and 800 K, though no antireflection coating was used in this case. Tr of 1100 K was achieved at 2.5 THz while the receiver noise bandwidth was 4 GHz.
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Verevkin, A., Zhang, J., Slysz, W., Sobolewski, R., Lipatov, A., Okunev, O., et al. (2002). Spectral sensitivity and temporal resolution of NbN superconducting single-photon detectors. In Proc. 13th Int. Symp. Space Terahertz Technol. (pp. 105–111).
Abstract: We report our studies on spectral sensitivity and time resolution of superconducting NbN thin film single-photon detectors (SPDs). Our SPDs exhibit an everimentally measured detection efficiencies (DE) from — 0.2% at 2=1550 nm up to —3% at lambda=405 nm wavelength for 10-nm film thickness devices and up to 3.5% at lambda=1550 nm for 3.5-nm film thickness devices. Spectral dependences of detection efficiency (DE) at 2=0.4 —3.0 pm range are presented. With variable optical delay setup, it is shown that NbN SPD potentially can resolve optical pulses with the repetition rate up to 10 GHz at least. The observed full width at the half maximum (FWHM) of the signal pulse is about 150-180 ps, limited by read-out electronics. The jitter of NbN SPD is measured to be —35 ps at optimum biasing.
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Semenov, A., Hübers, H. - W., Richter, H., Birk, M., Krocka, M., Mair, U., et al. (2002). Performance of terahertz heterodyne receiver with a superconducting hot-electron mixer. In Proc. 13th Int. Symp. Space Terahertz Technol. (pp. 229–234).
Abstract: During the past decade major advances have been made regarding low noise mixers for terahertz heterodyne receivers. State of the art hot-electron-bolometer (HEB) mixers have noise temperatures close to the quantum limit and require less than a microwatt power from the local oscillator (L0). The technology is now at a point where the performance of a practical receiver employing such mixer, rather than the figures of merit of the mixer itself, is of major concern. We have incorporated a phonon-cooled NbN HEB mixer in a 2.5 THz heterodyne receiver and investigated its performance. This yields important information for future development of heterodyne receivers such as GREAT (German receiver for astronomy at THz frequencies aboard SOFIA) [1] and TELIS (Terahertz limb sounder), a balloon borne heterodyne receiver for atmospheric research [2]. Both are currently under development at DLR.
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