Integrated Superconducting Receiver as a Tester for Sub-millimeter Devices at 400-600 GHz
S. V. Shitov, A. M. Shtanyuk, V. P. Koshelets, G.V. Prokopenko, Lyudmila V. Filippenko, Andrey B. Ermakov, M. Levitchev, A. V. Veretennikov, H. Kohlstedt, Alexey Vladimirovich Ustinov
Abstract
We report on design and first application of a laboratory-purpose tester which can in situ detect spectrum of sub-millimeter wave emission within frequency range of 400600 GHz from virtually any compact low-power source working within temperature range below 100 K. Both the receiver and the sample are placed in vacuum inside a laboratory test stick of diameter 50 mm, which is cooled down in a standard transport vessel for liquid helium. The sensor of the tester is designed on a base of the superconducting integrated receiver (SIR) chip working below 5 K. The chip sensor, beside the quasi-optical SIS mixer, contains an internal electronically tuned superconducting local oscillator, that provide low-noise operation at the level below 300 K DSB at central frequencies of 480-520 GHz as measured with a black body at the position of the test source. The signal detected by the SIS mixer is boosted by a helum-cold low-noise amplifier (G=20 dB, TN=10 K) within frequency range 12 GHz and then by a second room temperature amplifier (G=53 dB, TN=90 K) both mounted within the same test stick. The output level is sufficient for direct application to most of standard RF recorders, e. g. for a spectrum analyzer. To detect weak signals, a compact chopper-wing has been designed and placed at the input of the receiver module. Details of design and main test data measured at DC and RF are reported.