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Micromachined Millimeter- and Submillimeter-wave SIS Heterodyne Receivers for Remote Sensing

Qing Hu

Published May 29, 1997• 0 citations
OpenAlex

Abstract

A heterodyne mixer with a micromachined horn antenna and a superconductor -insulator-superconductor (SIS) tunnel junction as mixing element is tested in the W-band (75-115 GHz) frequency range. Micromachined integrated horn antennas consist of a dipole antenna suspended on a thin Si3N4 dielectric membrane inside a pyramidal cavity etched in silicon. The mixer performance is optimized by using a backing plane behind the dipole antenna to tune out the capacitance of the tunnel junction. The lowest receiver noise temperature of 30+/-3 K without any correction) is measured at 106 GHz with a 3-dB bandwidth of 8 GHz. This sensitivity is comparable to the state-of-the-art waveguide and quasi-optical SIS receivers, showing the potential use of micromachined horn antennas in imaging arrays.

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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.

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The development of ultra-low-noise receivers at frequencies of >200 GHz is primarily driven by astronomical applications. The most sensitive millimeter-wave receivers that have presently been constructed make use of the strong mixing afforded by superconductor-insulator-superconductor (SIS) tunnel junctions. In a collaborative project between UKC and RAL, a 230 GHz laboratory receiver has been built using a lead alloy SIS junction as the mixing element, mounted in 4:1 reduced-height waveguide, terminated at one end with a circular cross-section, adjustable backshort. Best results indicate a double-sideband receiver noise temperature of T/sub R/(DSB) approximately=120 K, which represents state-of-the-art performance at this frequency. Initial difficulties in achieving good mixing performance prompted an investigation into the importance of the 'quality' of mixer block backshort tuning elements. An analysis of the mixer equivalent circuit is presented which allows for loss in a non-ideal mixer block, and 3-port mixer model calculations are discussed which incorporate this analysis into the Tucker quantum theory of mixing.

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Millimeter wave superconducting receivers

Qing Hu, C. A. Mears, P. L. Richards

Recent work done at Berkeley on the development of millimeter-wave heterodyne mixers using superconductor-insulator-superconductor (SIS) junctions is reviewed. Two types of mixers have been developed; a conventional waveguide system using a resonant cavity and an open-structure quasioptical system using planar antennas and lenses. Using the waveguide system, the lowest mixer noise level yet obtained (within 25% of the quantum limit) at 95 GHz has been achieved. The quasioptical system has achieved a good mixer performance up to 200 GHz, and it has shown promise for use at submillimeter wavelengths.>

IEEE MTT-S International Microwave Symposium digest•Dec 9, 2002•0 citations
A heterodyne mixer with a micromachined horn antenna and a superconductor -insulator-superconductor (SIS) tunnel junction as mixing element is tested in the W-band (75-115 GHz) frequency range. Micromachined integrated horn antennas consist of a dipole antenna suspended on a thin Si3N4 dielectric membrane inside a pyramidal cavity etched in silicon. The mixer performance is optimized by using a backing plane behind the dipole antenna to tune out the capacitance of the tunnel junction. The lowest receiver noise temperature of 30+/-3 K without any correction) is measured at 106 GHz with a 3-dB bandwidth of 8 GHz. This sensitivity is comparable to the state-of-the-art waveguide and quasi-optical SIS receivers, showing the potential use of micromachined horn antennas in imaging arrays.
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.
A heterodyne receiver incorporating superconductor-insulator-superconductor (SIS) mixers has been designed to cover the frequency range from 400 to 520 GHz of the Submillimeter Array (SMA). Various tuning circuits have been employed to resonate out the geometric capacitance of the junction and provide impedance matching to the waveguide probe. Our measurements indicated that a receiver noise temperature of around 90 K, with the contributions from the input noise and intermediate frequency (IF) noise estimated to be around 60 K and 10 K, respectively. SIS mixers integrated with planar orthomode transducers (OMT) have also been designed at 345 GHz for dual polarization detections, and results from the 3-dimensional (3-D) electromagnetic (EM) simulations are presented.
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.
This thesis investigates the prospects of some different superconducting mixers integrated with planar antennas for the millimeter and submillimeter regime. Two kinds of Superconductor/Insulator/Superconductor (SIS) tunnel junctions for use in mixers have been fabricated; Nb/PbBi edge junctions and Nb trilayer junctions. One of the very high quality trilayer mixers is currently operating in a 350 GHz radio-telescope heterodyne-receiver. The reduced sensitivity of SIS mixers for frequencies above the gap frequency (?700 GHz) of the superconductors has directed the interest towards another type of superconducting mixer device, the superconducting Hot Electron Bolometer (HEB). Various types of this device have been studied; Nb devices for scale-measurements at 20 GHz to more easily verify some of the theoretical background of the HEB, NbN waveguide devices for 100 GHz, and NbN devices integrated with planar antennas for a quasi-optical mixer at 350 GHz. Two types of planar antennas have been used; the endfire "Broken" Linearly Tapered Slotline Antenna (BLTSA) on a thin dielectric membrane, and the double dipole antenna on a quartz substrate lens. The beam pattern of the BLTSA has been examined theoretically and measured at 40 GHz with antennas supported by Kapton foil, and at 350 and 800 GHz with antennas on thin dielectric SiOxNy membranes. Measurements of the 20 GHz Nb HEB show a mixer conversion loss close to 0 dB for IF frequencies below 40 MHz. The maximum IF bandwidth given by the electron temperature relaxation time corresponds to a frequency of about 80 MHz. A DSB mixer noise temperature of only a few hundred Kelvin has been measured. Corresponding measurements of NbN devices at 100 and 350 GHz give a mixer conversion loss of about 6-10 dB and an IF bandwidth of about 700 to 1000 MHz. The output noise is found to be dominated by electron temperature fluctuations with an equivalent noise temperature of about 100 K, and a frequency dependence equal to that of the IF signal. Phenomenological expressions for conversion loss, noise, and IF impedance have been compared measurements and shows good agreement. The quasioptical NbN HEB mixers are still under development with respect to film quality and coupling to radiation, why the mixer performance of these is expected to improve.
The development of ultra-low-noise receivers at frequencies of >200 GHz is primarily driven by astronomical applications. The most sensitive millimeter-wave receivers that have presently been constructed make use of the strong mixing afforded by superconductor-insulator-superconductor (SIS) tunnel junctions. In a collaborative project between UKC and RAL, a 230 GHz laboratory receiver has been built using a lead alloy SIS junction as the mixing element, mounted in 4:1 reduced-height waveguide, terminated at one end with a circular cross-section, adjustable backshort. Best results indicate a double-sideband receiver noise temperature of T/sub R/(DSB) approximately=120 K, which represents state-of-the-art performance at this frequency. Initial difficulties in achieving good mixing performance prompted an investigation into the importance of the 'quality' of mixer block backshort tuning elements. An analysis of the mixer equivalent circuit is presented which allows for loss in a non-ideal mixer block, and 3-port mixer model calculations are discussed which incorporate this analysis into the Tucker quantum theory of mixing.
Recent work done at Berkeley on the development of millimeter-wave heterodyne mixers using superconductor-insulator-superconductor (SIS) junctions is reviewed. Two types of mixers have been developed; a conventional waveguide system using a resonant cavity and an open-structure quasioptical system using planar antennas and lenses. Using the waveguide system, the lowest mixer noise level yet obtained (within 25% of the quantum limit) at 95 GHz has been achieved. The quasioptical system has achieved a good mixer performance up to 200 GHz, and it has shown promise for use at submillimeter wavelengths.>