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International Conference on Infrared, Millimeter, and Terahertz Waves (IRMMW-THz)

Novel low temperature superconducting bolometers

Michael Nahum

Published Dec 7, 2017• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We have designed and fabricated novel antenna-coupled superconducting bolometers for submillimeter and millimeter waves, which make use of the thermal boundary resistance between metals and insulators and the trapping of quasiparticles at metal-superconductor interfaces. We have used these devices to make measurements of the frequency response and optical efficiency of the log-periodic antennas between 90 GHz to 1.8 THz.

DOI
10.1117/12.2298256

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We have designed and fabricated novel antenna-coupled superconducting bolometers for submillimeter and millimeter waves, which make use of the thermal boundary resistance between metals and insulators and the trapping of quasiparticles at metal-superconductor interfaces. We have used these devices to make measurements of the frequency response and optical efficiency of the log-periodic antennas between 90 GHz to 1.8 THz.
We propose a novel antenna-coupled low Tc superconducting bolometer which makes use of the thermal boundary resistance and the trapping of quasiparticles at metal-superconducting interfaces. A thin strip of superconductor, whose temperature is regulated at the midpoint of its resistive transition, serves both as a resistive load to thermalize the infrared current from the antenna and as a thermometer to measure the resulting temperature rise. Calculations give a noise equivalent power (NEP)≊7×10−16 T5/2 WHz−1/2 and a time constant τ≊10−8 T−2 s for a 2×2 μm2 thermometer area at temperature T (K). Designs for efficient on-chip rf matching and filter networks with well-defined bandpasses are presented. These detectors can be used to make frequency-multiplexed array receivers for astronomical observations at near millimeter wavelengths.
A description is given of recent work at Berkeley on superconducting detectors and mixers for infrared and millimeter wavelengths. The first report is a review article which summarizes the status of development of superconducting components for infrared and millimeter wave receivers. Next, a report is given on measurements and theoretical modeling of the absorptivity (surface resistance) of high quality epitaxial films of the high-Tc superconductor YBCO from 750 GHz to 21 THz. The next report describes measurements of the thermal boundary resistance between YBCO films and various substrates. This resistance is much larger than expected from the acoustic impedance mismatch model and gives a thermal time constant in the nanosecond range for typical YBCO films. Then, there are reports on the design and experimental performance of two different types of high-Tc bolometric detectors. One is a conventional bolometer with a gold-black absorber. The other is an antenna coupled microbolometer. The properties of a low-Tc microbolometer are also described. The last reports describe accurate measurements and also theoretical modeling of an SIS quasiparticle waveguide mixer for W-band which uses very high quality Ta junctions. The best mixer noise is only 1.3 times the quantum limit. Both the mixer gain and the noise are in quantitative agreement with the quantum theory.
A description is given of recent work at Berkeley on superconducting detectors and mixers for infrared and millimeter wavelengths. The first report is a review article which summarizes the status of development of superconducting components for infrared and millimeter wave receivers. Next, a report is given on measurements and theoretical modeling of the absorptivity (surface resistance) of high quality epitaxial films of the high-Tc superconductor YBCO from 750 GHz to 21 THz. The next report describes measurements of the thermal boundary resistance between YBCO films and various substrates. This resistance is much larger than expected from the acoustic impedance mismatch model and gives a thermal time constant in the nanosecond range for typical YBCO films. Reports are also included on the design and experimental performance of two different types of high-Tc bolometric detectors. One is a conventional bolometer with a gold-black absorber. The other is an antenna coupled microbolometer. The properties of a low-Tc microbolometer are also described. The last reports describe accurate measurements and also theoretical modeling of an SIS quasi-particle waveguide mixer for W-band which uses very high quality Ta junctions. The best mixer noise is only 1.3 times the quantum limit. Both the mixer gain and the noise are in quantitative agreement with the quantum theory.
A quasioptical Josephson detector with resistively shunted superconducting tunnel junctions of superconductor-insulator-superconductor (SIS) type and different integrated matching circuits for mm waveband region has been designed, fabricated and experimentally studied. A special quasioptical cryogenic probe has been designed and fabricated for measurements of microwave response of such integrated receiving structures. For low-frequency matching a cold transformer has been used at the output port. Many efforts have been made for reducing the external noise influence on Josephson junction IV curve. Quasioptical beamguide has been optimized and adjusted using Bi bolometers evaporated instead of Josephson junctions in the center of planar antenna. Beampatterns of several types of planar antennas, including self-complementary and non-complementary logarithmic spiral and log-periodic antennas, have been measured using the same technique.
Three types of composite superconductive bolometers are described in which the temperature-sensitive element is a superconducting film at the transition temperature, a superconductor–normal metal–superconductor Josephson junction, or a superconductor–insulator–normal metal quasiparticle tunneling junction. The temperature-sensitive element is evaporated onto a sapphire substrate on the reverse side of which is a bismuth film to absorb the submillimeter radiation. The noise limitations of each type of bolometer are calculated. The fabrication and measured performance of the transition-edge bolometer and the Josephson-junction bolometer are described. The best electrical (noise-equivalent power) NEP obtained with a transition-edge bolometer fabricated on a 4×4×0.005-mm sapphire substrate is (1.7±0.1) ×10−15 W Hz−1/2 at 2 Hz at an operating temperature of 1.27 K. This NEP is within a factor of 2 of the thermal noise limit. The effective absorptivity of the bismuth film is measured to be 0.47±0.05, and the corresponding detectivity D* is calculated to be (1.1±0.1) ×1014 cm W−1 Hz1/2. Suggestions are made for further improvements in sensitivity.