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Physics Today

Far infrared detection by Josephson junctions

Chi Kong So

Published Nov 1, 1966• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

A group at Bell Telephone Laboratories has reported using superconducting point contacts that show zerovoltage Josephson current as “sensitive, broadband, high-speed detectors of millimeter and submillimeter radiation.” The work was done by C. C. Grimes, P. L. Richards and S. Shapiro and reported in Physical Review Letters 17, 431 (1966).

DOI
10.1063/1.3047818

Related papers

Far Infrared Response of Point-Contact Josephson Junctions

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We have measured spectral-response curves of superconducting point contacts suggesting the existence of frequency-dependent Josephson current amplitudes peaking in the vicinity of the energy gap. These point-contact Josephson junctions respond sensitively and with high speed to millimeter and submillimeter radiation. Radiation emitted to free space by one such junction was detected by another junction.

Physical Review Letters•Aug 22, 1966•60 citations

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Although a number of investigators have generated microwave radiation by means of properly biased Josephson junctions, little work has been reported on similar applications to the submillimeter wave region where tunable coherent oscillators are not yet available. We have generated continuously tunable millimeter and submillimeter wave radiation with a point contact Josephson junction in a superconducting transmission line. This transmission line is centered in an oversized multimode brass cavity. With a broad band detector placed in the brass cavity near the transmission line radiation is detected for all bias voltages below 2 mV. The maximum power actually absorbed by the detector is about 2 × 10-10 W. In order to analyze the frequency content of the radiation we have used a lamellar interferometer together with Fourier transform spectroscopic techniques. The amount of power detected in the remote detector cryostat is two orders of magnitude smaller than that detected adjacent to the junction. Only at bias voltages where a particularly large amount of radiation is emitted are spectroscopic measurements possible. For these cases the frequency of the radiation is that predicted from the bias voltage and the Josephson relation. The linewidth is less than the resolution of the interferometer. To see if the radiation is continuously tunable a low temperature spectrometer has been constructed. The instrument consists of a germanium bolometer cooled to 0.3 K by a He3 charcoal adsorption pump, a four position sample rotator at 1.2 K and a Josephson junction transmission line source. By sweeping the bias voltage from zero to 2 mV absorption line spectra have been recorded in three different crystals, they are : 1. the antiferromagnetic resonance at 8.7 cm-1 in MnF2 ; 2. the impurity mode absorption at 14.3 cm-1 in CsI : Tl and 3. the impurity mode absorption at 18.0 cm-1 in KBr : Li. A low temperature double beam spectrometer is now under construction.

Revue de Physique Appliquée•Jan 1, 1974•4 citations

A detector receiver of millimeter and submillimeter radiation employing a superconducting point contact

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The construction of a detector receiver of millimeter- and submillimeter-band radiation, based on a superconducting point contact, is described. The procedure for preparing the receiver for operation is explained and its characteristics are given. The threshold sensitivity of the receiver at a wavelength of 1.88 mm amounts to a value of 4 x 10/sup -14/ W/Hz/sup /sup 1///sub 2//.

•Aug 1, 1976•0 citations

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Revue de Physique Appliquée•Jan 1, 1974•4 citations

Josephson Junctions as Heterodyne Detectors

Y. Taur, J. H. Claassen, P. L. Richards

Heterodyne detection with a point contact Josephson junction has been investigated both experimentally and theoretically. From our results at 36 GHz, we can extrapolate a potentially impressive performance for these devices at submillimeter wavelengths.

International Conference on Submillimeter Waves and Their Applications•Jun 1, 1974•16 citations
A group at Bell Telephone Laboratories has reported using superconducting point contacts that show zerovoltage Josephson current as “sensitive, broadband, high-speed detectors of millimeter and submillimeter radiation.” The work was done by C. C. Grimes, P. L. Richards and S. Shapiro and reported in Physical Review Letters 17, 431 (1966).
Josephson junctions are highly nonlinear and respond up to infrared frequencies. A wide variety of high frequency applications have been explored. In addition, several high frequency superconducting devices are being developed which do not use the Josephson effect. These include a superconducting version of the Schottky barrier diode for use as a heterodyne mixer and a video detector, and also a composite superconducting bolometer. In this review, the state of development of superconducting mixers, detectors, and parametric amplifiers at microwave, millimeter, and submillimeter wavelengths is discussed. Emphasis will be placed on developments which have taken place since 1974 when a previous review was circulated.
Although a number of investigators have generated microwave radiation by means of properly biased Josephson junctions, little work has been reported on similar applications to the submillimeter wave region where tunable coherent oscillators are not yet available. We have generated continuously tunable millimeter and submillimeter wave radiation with a point contact Josephson junction in a superconducting transmission line. This transmission line is centered in an oversized multimode brass cavity. With a broad band detector placed in the brass cavity near the transmission line radiation is detected for all bias voltages below 2 mV. The maximum power actually absorbed by the detector is about 2 × 10-10 W. In order to analyze the frequency content of the radiation we have used a lamellar interferometer together with Fourier transform spectroscopic techniques. The amount of power detected in the remote detector cryostat is two orders of magnitude smaller than that detected adjacent to the junction. Only at bias voltages where a particularly large amount of radiation is emitted are spectroscopic measurements possible. For these cases the frequency of the radiation is that predicted from the bias voltage and the Josephson relation. The linewidth is less than the resolution of the interferometer. To see if the radiation is continuously tunable a low temperature spectrometer has been constructed. The instrument consists of a germanium bolometer cooled to 0.3 K by a He3 charcoal adsorption pump, a four position sample rotator at 1.2 K and a Josephson junction transmission line source. By sweeping the bias voltage from zero to 2 mV absorption line spectra have been recorded in three different crystals, they are : 1. the antiferromagnetic resonance at 8.7 cm-1 in MnF2 ; 2. the impurity mode absorption at 14.3 cm-1 in CsI : Tl and 3. the impurity mode absorption at 18.0 cm-1 in KBr : Li. A low temperature double beam spectrometer is now under construction.