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IEEE MTT-S International Microwave Symposium digest

A 547 GHz SIS receiver employing a submicron Nb junction with an integrated matching circuit

Pascal Febvre, William R. McGrath, P. D. Batelaan, Henry George LeDuc, B. Bumble, M. A. Frerking, J. Hernichel

Published Dec 30, 2002• 4 citations
Publisher

Abstract

A heterodyne receiver using an SIS (superconductor-insulator-superconductor) waveguide mixer with two mechanical tuners has been built and characterized over the frequency range of 460 GHz to 630 GHz. This receiver is designed for radioastronomy applications. The mixer uses high-current-density, 0.25- mu m/sup 2/, Nb/AlO/sub x//Nb SIS tunnel junctions with integrated superconductive RF circuits to tune the junction capacitance. A DSB (double sideband) receiver noise temperature as low as 200+or-17 K has been obtained at 540 GHz. In addition, negative differential resistance has been observed in the DC I-V (current-voltage) curve at 487-491 GHz.>

DOI
10.1109/mwsym.1993.276760

Related papers

Performance of an SIS receiver over 460 GHz to 640 GHz using submicron Nb junctions with integrated RF tuning circuits

Pascal Febvre

The most sensitive heterodyne receivers used formillimeter wave and submillimeter wave radioastronomyemploy superconductor-insulator-superconductor (SIS)tunnel junctions as the nonlinear mixing element. Goodperformance has recently been reported for SIS junctionsused in planar mixer circuits and waveguide mixers fromabout 300 GHz to 500 GHz. We have developed asubmillimeter wave SIS heterodyne receiver for observingimportant rotational transitions of molecules in theinterstellar medium near 550 GHz and 630 GHz. Thisreceiver is based on a waveguide mixer with an adjustablebackshort and E-plane tuner [1]. The mixer uses a highcurrent density, 0.25 gm2 Nb-A1Ox-Nb tunnel junctiondefined by electron beam lithography [2]. The capacitanceof the junction is compensated with an integrated RFsuperconductive microstrip tuning circuit. The receiverperformance has been measured over the frequency range460 GHz to 640 GHz. DSB receiver noise temperatures aslow as 200 ± 17 K at 540 GHz and 362 ± 33 K at626 GHz have been obtained. In addition, negativedifferential resistance has been observed in the DC I-Vcurve at frequencies around 491 GHz. These results indicatethat the superconductive Nb microstrip transmission linesused in the tuning circuits are low-loss and perform well upto at least 90% of the superconductor energy gap frequency.

International Conference on Infrared, Millimeter, and Terahertz Waves (IRMMW-THz)•Aug 30, 1993•0 citations

A low noise 230 GHz heterodyne receiver employing 0.25- mu m/sup 2/ area Nb-AlO/sub x/-Nb tunnel junctions

J. Kooi, M. Chan, Tom G. Phillips +2 more

The authors report recent results for a full-height rectangular waveguide mixer with an integrated IF matching network. Two 0.25 mu m/sup 2/ Nb-AlO/sub x/-Nb superconducting-insulating-superconducting (SIS) tunnel junctions with a current density of approximately=8500 A/cm/sup 2/ and omega RC of approximately=2.5 at 230 GHz have been tested. One of these quasiparticle tunnel junctions is currently being used at the Caltech Submillimeter Observatory in Hawaii. Detailed measurement of the receiver noise have been made from 200-290 GHz for both junctions at 4.2 K. The lowest receiver noise temperatures were recorded at 239 GHz, measuring 48 K DSB at 4.2 K and 40 K DSB at 2.1 K. The 230-GHz receiver incorporates a one-octave-wide integrated low-pass filter and matching network which transforms the pumped IF junction impedance to 50 Omega over a wide range of impedances.>

IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques•May 1, 1992•41 citations

Quasi-optical submillimeter-wave SIS mixers with NbN/A1N/NbN tunnel junctions

Yoshinori Uzawa, Zhen Wang, Akira Kawakami

We report on low-noise heterodyne mixing with NbN/A1N/NbN tunnel junctions in the submillimeter-wave region for the first time. The receiver consists of the quasi-optical NbN SIS mixer with an integrated tuning circuit in which a radial short stub tuner is incorporated to resonate out the junction capacitance for RF matching and a balanced IF circuit for broadband IF matching. The prepared NbN SIS junction has a current density of 20 kA/cm 2 and is about 1 I1111 in diameter, supplying a small coC JRN product (o)CJRN = 3 at 300 GHz). The junctions showed good dc I-V characteristics, excellent submillimeter-wave responses and sensitive heterodyne mixing responses. From 254 to 350 GHz the average receiver noise temperature measured using by the standard Y-factor method was about 250 K (DSB) at 5 K. The lowest receiver noise temperature, 200 K (DSB), was obtained at around 303 GHz. Comparing NbN/A1N/NbN and Nb/A10x/Nb tunnel junction performance with the same tuning circuit showed that the frequency dependence of the receiver noise temperature agreed well in the two receivers. These results suggest that our well-controlled NbN SIS junctions can be used for terahertz mixer elements instead of Nb SIS junctions.

•Mar 1, 1996•2 citations

A 665 GHz Waveguide Receiver Using a Tuned 0.5 μm 2 Nb/AlO x /Nb SIS Tunnel Junction

J. Kooi, Mansun Chan, Henry George LeDuc +1 more

We report recent results on a 580-740 GHz SIS heterodyne receiver employing a tuned 0.50Am Nb/A10x/Nb SIS tunnel junction. The receiver has been successfully installed at the Caltech Submillimeter Observatory, Hawaii. Results of an untuned device in the same waveguide block were presented at the fifth International THz Conference. Since the mixer is meant to be operated near the superconducting gap frequency of niobium (2,L/h 690 GHz), special has been taken to minimize the absorption loss in the rf matching network. To this effect we propose the use of a RF matching network that constitutes a hybrid between the well know end-loaded stub and radial stub matching networks. We have measured uncorrected DSB receiver temperatures as low as 160K from 680to 702 Gliz, 200K at 725GHz and 120K from 585-640 GHz. The uncorrected mixer noise temperature at 702 Gliz is about 125K, of which 62K can be directly contributed to the front end optics loss. Mixer conversion loss at 702 GHz is 7dB, of which 0.9dB is due to the absorption loss in the Nb film. This results in a corrected mixer noise temperature of 63K, 1.7 times the quantum noise limit.

Softwaretechnik-Trends•Mar 1, 1996•1 citation

Performance of a two-junction array SIS-mixer operating around 345 GHz

Cornelia E. Honingh, Gert J. de Lange, M. M. T. M. Dierichs +3 more

The authors have made a detailed study of the gain and noise of a SIS (superconductor-insulator-superconductor) heterodyne receiver at 345 GHz. An array of two Nb-Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/-Nb SIS junctions in series are used as the mixing element. The array is operated in a waveguide mount with a backshort and an E-plane tuner. The best receiver noise temperature achieved is 140 K DSB (double sideband). The embedding impedances were determined by fitting theory to the measured pumped curves. High-quality fits were obtained, providing the first detailed test of the Tucker-theory at frequencies above 300 GHz. The impedances found by this method are in very good agreement with impedances measured in a scale model at 3.3 GHz. From these embedding impedances, the gain and noise of the mixer were calculated over a full bias range using the Tucker theory in the three-port low-IF approximation. The measured dependence of mixer gain and noise on bias voltage, pump power and embedding impedance is in good agreement with theory. However the absolute values show discrepancies that appear to be independent of the bias parameters of the mixer.>

IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques•Apr 1, 1993•14 citations

A full-band waveguide SIS receiver with integrated tuning for 75-110 GHz

Dag Winkler, N. G. Ugras, A. Hodge Worsham +3 more

The performance of a broadband SIS (superconductor-insulator-superconductor) receiver with no mechanical tuning elements was modeled and tested. The mixer mount had a broadband-waveguide-to-microstripline transition consisting of a four-step Chebyshev single-ridge transformer. The last step of the ridge connected the waveguide to a microstripline circuit. The on-chip circuit consisted of a microstripline that transmitted the RF and the local oscillator signals to the SIS mixer. Both the SIS element and the inductor had RF grounds provided by 90 degrees radial stubs. The inductor tuned out the junction capacitance to allow operation over the full frequency band. The SIS element can be a single junction or series array using Nb-AlO/sub x/-Nb trilayer tunnel junctions with areas as small as 0.5 mu m/sup 2/ and V/sub m/(2 mV)=39 mV. Preliminary results indicated a DSB receiver noise temperature of 65-80 K across the band measured at 4.4 K with an internal cryogenic RF hot/cold source and with T/sub if/=21 K. With another device, a mixer noise temperature of 35 K at 100 GHz was achieved, increasing to 45 K at 79.5 and 110 GHz. Coupled mixer gain of up to +3 dB and negative dynamic resistance on the first photon step were observed. The lowest noise temperature was obtained for an untuned single-junction mixer at 80 GHz: T/sub R/=41 K and T/sub M/=20 K were measured.

IEEE Transactions on Magnetics•Mar 1, 1991•11 citations
A heterodyne receiver using an SIS (superconductor-insulator-superconductor) waveguide mixer with two mechanical tuners has been built and characterized over the frequency range of 460 GHz to 630 GHz. This receiver is designed for radioastronomy applications. The mixer uses high-current-density, 0.25- mu m/sup 2/, Nb/AlO/sub x//Nb SIS tunnel junctions with integrated superconductive RF circuits to tune the junction capacitance. A DSB (double sideband) receiver noise temperature as low as 200+or-17 K has been obtained at 540 GHz. In addition, negative differential resistance has been observed in the DC I-V (current-voltage) curve at 487-491 GHz.>
The most sensitive heterodyne receivers used formillimeter wave and submillimeter wave radioastronomyemploy superconductor-insulator-superconductor (SIS)tunnel junctions as the nonlinear mixing element. Goodperformance has recently been reported for SIS junctionsused in planar mixer circuits and waveguide mixers fromabout 300 GHz to 500 GHz. We have developed asubmillimeter wave SIS heterodyne receiver for observingimportant rotational transitions of molecules in theinterstellar medium near 550 GHz and 630 GHz. Thisreceiver is based on a waveguide mixer with an adjustablebackshort and E-plane tuner [1]. The mixer uses a highcurrent density, 0.25 gm2 Nb-A1Ox-Nb tunnel junctiondefined by electron beam lithography [2]. The capacitanceof the junction is compensated with an integrated RFsuperconductive microstrip tuning circuit. The receiverperformance has been measured over the frequency range460 GHz to 640 GHz. DSB receiver noise temperatures aslow as 200 ± 17 K at 540 GHz and 362 ± 33 K at626 GHz have been obtained. In addition, negativedifferential resistance has been observed in the DC I-Vcurve at frequencies around 491 GHz. These results indicatethat the superconductive Nb microstrip transmission linesused in the tuning circuits are low-loss and perform well upto at least 90% of the superconductor energy gap frequency.
The authors report recent results for a full-height rectangular waveguide mixer with an integrated IF matching network. Two 0.25 mu m/sup 2/ Nb-AlO/sub x/-Nb superconducting-insulating-superconducting (SIS) tunnel junctions with a current density of approximately=8500 A/cm/sup 2/ and omega RC of approximately=2.5 at 230 GHz have been tested. One of these quasiparticle tunnel junctions is currently being used at the Caltech Submillimeter Observatory in Hawaii. Detailed measurement of the receiver noise have been made from 200-290 GHz for both junctions at 4.2 K. The lowest receiver noise temperatures were recorded at 239 GHz, measuring 48 K DSB at 4.2 K and 40 K DSB at 2.1 K. The 230-GHz receiver incorporates a one-octave-wide integrated low-pass filter and matching network which transforms the pumped IF junction impedance to 50 Omega over a wide range of impedances.>
We report on low-noise heterodyne mixing with NbN/A1N/NbN tunnel junctions in the submillimeter-wave region for the first time. The receiver consists of the quasi-optical NbN SIS mixer with an integrated tuning circuit in which a radial short stub tuner is incorporated to resonate out the junction capacitance for RF matching and a balanced IF circuit for broadband IF matching. The prepared NbN SIS junction has a current density of 20 kA/cm 2 and is about 1 I1111 in diameter, supplying a small coC JRN product (o)CJRN = 3 at 300 GHz). The junctions showed good dc I-V characteristics, excellent submillimeter-wave responses and sensitive heterodyne mixing responses. From 254 to 350 GHz the average receiver noise temperature measured using by the standard Y-factor method was about 250 K (DSB) at 5 K. The lowest receiver noise temperature, 200 K (DSB), was obtained at around 303 GHz. Comparing NbN/A1N/NbN and Nb/A10x/Nb tunnel junction performance with the same tuning circuit showed that the frequency dependence of the receiver noise temperature agreed well in the two receivers. These results suggest that our well-controlled NbN SIS junctions can be used for terahertz mixer elements instead of Nb SIS junctions.
We report recent results on a 580-740 GHz SIS heterodyne receiver employing a tuned 0.50Am Nb/A10x/Nb SIS tunnel junction. The receiver has been successfully installed at the Caltech Submillimeter Observatory, Hawaii. Results of an untuned device in the same waveguide block were presented at the fifth International THz Conference. Since the mixer is meant to be operated near the superconducting gap frequency of niobium (2,L/h 690 GHz), special has been taken to minimize the absorption loss in the rf matching network. To this effect we propose the use of a RF matching network that constitutes a hybrid between the well know end-loaded stub and radial stub matching networks. We have measured uncorrected DSB receiver temperatures as low as 160K from 680to 702 Gliz, 200K at 725GHz and 120K from 585-640 GHz. The uncorrected mixer noise temperature at 702 Gliz is about 125K, of which 62K can be directly contributed to the front end optics loss. Mixer conversion loss at 702 GHz is 7dB, of which 0.9dB is due to the absorption loss in the Nb film. This results in a corrected mixer noise temperature of 63K, 1.7 times the quantum noise limit.
The authors have made a detailed study of the gain and noise of a SIS (superconductor-insulator-superconductor) heterodyne receiver at 345 GHz. An array of two Nb-Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/-Nb SIS junctions in series are used as the mixing element. The array is operated in a waveguide mount with a backshort and an E-plane tuner. The best receiver noise temperature achieved is 140 K DSB (double sideband). The embedding impedances were determined by fitting theory to the measured pumped curves. High-quality fits were obtained, providing the first detailed test of the Tucker-theory at frequencies above 300 GHz. The impedances found by this method are in very good agreement with impedances measured in a scale model at 3.3 GHz. From these embedding impedances, the gain and noise of the mixer were calculated over a full bias range using the Tucker theory in the three-port low-IF approximation. The measured dependence of mixer gain and noise on bias voltage, pump power and embedding impedance is in good agreement with theory. However the absolute values show discrepancies that appear to be independent of the bias parameters of the mixer.>
The performance of a broadband SIS (superconductor-insulator-superconductor) receiver with no mechanical tuning elements was modeled and tested. The mixer mount had a broadband-waveguide-to-microstripline transition consisting of a four-step Chebyshev single-ridge transformer. The last step of the ridge connected the waveguide to a microstripline circuit. The on-chip circuit consisted of a microstripline that transmitted the RF and the local oscillator signals to the SIS mixer. Both the SIS element and the inductor had RF grounds provided by 90 degrees radial stubs. The inductor tuned out the junction capacitance to allow operation over the full frequency band. The SIS element can be a single junction or series array using Nb-AlO/sub x/-Nb trilayer tunnel junctions with areas as small as 0.5 mu m/sup 2/ and V/sub m/(2 mV)=39 mV. Preliminary results indicated a DSB receiver noise temperature of 65-80 K across the band measured at 4.4 K with an internal cryogenic RF hot/cold source and with T/sub if/=21 K. With another device, a mixer noise temperature of 35 K at 100 GHz was achieved, increasing to 45 K at 79.5 and 110 GHz. Coupled mixer gain of up to +3 dB and negative dynamic resistance on the first photon step were observed. The lowest noise temperature was obtained for an untuned single-junction mixer at 80 GHz: T/sub R/=41 K and T/sub M/=20 K were measured.