Low-noise and wideband hot-electron superconductive mixer for terahertz frequencies

Boris S. Karasik; Anders J. Skalare; William R. McGrath; Bruce Bumble; Henry G. LeDuc; Jeff B. Barner; Alan W. Kleinsasser; P. J. Burke; Robert J. Schoelkopf; Daniel E. Prober

doi:10.1117/12.331162

13 November 1998 Low-noise and wideband hot-electron superconductive mixer for terahertz frequencies

Boris S. Karasik, Anders J. Skalare, William R. McGrath, Bruce Bumble, Henry G. LeDuc, Jeff B. Barner, Alan W. Kleinsasser, P. J. Burke, Robert J. Schoelkopf, Daniel E. Prober

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 3465, Millimeter and Submillimeter Waves IV; (1998) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.331162
Event: SPIE's International Symposium on Optical Science, Engineering, and Instrumentation, 1998, San Diego, CA, United States

Abstract

Superconductive hot-electron bolometer (HEB) mixers have been built and tested in the frequency range from 1.1 THz to 2.5 THz. The mixer device is a 0.15 - 0.3 micrometer microbridge made from a 10 nm thick Nb film. This device employs diffusion as a cooling mechanism for hot electrons. The double sideband noise temperature was measured to be less than or equal to 3000 K at 2.5 THz and the mixer IF bandwidth is expected to be at least 10 GHz for a 0.1 micrometer long device. The local oscillator (LO) power dissipated in the HEB microbridge was 20 - 100 nW. Further improvement of the mixer characteristics can be potentially achieved by using Al microbridges. The advantages and parameters of such devices are evaluated. The HEB mixer is a primary candidate for ground based, airborne and spaceborne heterodyne instruments at THz frequencies. HEB receivers are planned for use on the NASA Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) and the ESA Far Infrared and Submillimeter Space Telescope (FIRST). The prospects of a submicron-size YBa₂Cu₃O_7-(delta ) (YBCO) HEB are discussed. The expected LO power of 1 - 10 (mu) W and SSB noise temperature of approximately equals 2000 K may make this mixer attractive for various remote sensing applications.

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Boris S. Karasik, Anders J. Skalare, William R. McGrath, Bruce Bumble, Henry G. LeDuc, Jeff B. Barner, Alan W. Kleinsasser, P. J. Burke, Robert J. Schoelkopf, and Daniel E. Prober "Low-noise and wideband hot-electron superconductive mixer for terahertz frequencies", Proc. SPIE 3465, Millimeter and Submillimeter Waves IV, (13 November 1998); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.331162

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