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IEEE MTT-S International Microwave Symposium digest

Noise figure of HTS JJ MMIC downconverter at 12 GHz

Kenji Suzuki, S. Yoshikawa, Kenzo Yamaguchi, Kei Hayashi, S. Fujino, Tsuyoshi TAKENAKA, T. Mitsuzuka, Yûji Enomoto, Kazuo Imai, Fumiyasu Suginoshita, N. Yazawa

Published Dec 31, 2002• 10 citations
Publisher

Abstract

A YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7- delta / (YBCO) step-edge microbridge JJ (Josephson junction), two 12-GHz YBCO microstrip bandpass filters, a 1-GHz YBCO filter, and current bias and voltage monitor circuits were successfully combined on a 20-mm*20-mm MgO substrate and integrated into a frequency downconverter for receiving DBS (direct broadcast satellite) signals. The YBCO downconverter and the GaAs low-noise IF (intermediate frequency) amplifier were combined in a microwave cryostat. The dependence of mixing signals on temperature and LO (local oscillator) input power was measured. The conversion gain and the noise figure corresponding to the YBCO downconverter package were -14.5 dB and 12.2 dB, respectively, at 15 K and low LO power (-25 dBm). The first demonstration of the HTS (high-temperature superconductive) subsystem, i.e. the monolithic YBCO downconverter, shows potential for applications in mobile radio communications and satellite broadcasting.>

DOI
10.1109/mwsym.1993.276729

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A YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7- delta / (YBCO) step-edge microbridge JJ (Josephson junction), two 12-GHz YBCO microstrip bandpass filters, a 1-GHz YBCO filter, and current bias and voltage monitor circuits were successfully combined on a 20-mm*20-mm MgO substrate and integrated into a frequency downconverter for receiving DBS (direct broadcast satellite) signals. The YBCO downconverter and the GaAs low-noise IF (intermediate frequency) amplifier were combined in a microwave cryostat. The dependence of mixing signals on temperature and LO (local oscillator) input power was measured. The conversion gain and the noise figure corresponding to the YBCO downconverter package were -14.5 dB and 12.2 dB, respectively, at 15 K and low LO power (-25 dBm). The first demonstration of the HTS (high-temperature superconductive) subsystem, i.e. the monolithic YBCO downconverter, shows potential for applications in mobile radio communications and satellite broadcasting.>
A monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) frequency down-converter based on a compact high-Tc superconducting (HTS) device is demonstrated. The on-chip integrated HTS down-converter consists of a 7–9 GHz bandpass filter for RF input, a lowpass filter for intermediate frequency output, and a self-pumped Josephson heterodyne mixer. All the above passive and active components are fabricated on a single 10 mm × 20 mm chip of YBa2Cu3O7−x film on MgO substrate. Characterization of this MMIC HTS down-converter in terms of frequency response, conversion gain, frequency-tuneability, bias dependence, dynamic range, linearity, and intrinsic noise are presented in this paper.
© 2014 IOP Publishing Ltd. A high-Tc superconducting (HTS) monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) Josephson down-converter that approaches zero conversion loss is reported. The all-HTS YBa2Cu3O7-x thin-film circuit consists of a step-edge Josephson junction mixer, a 10-12 GHz bandpass filter for the RF input, a lowpass filter for the IF output and a resonant strip line for local oscillator isolation; all are integrated on a single 10 mm × 20 mm MgO substrate. The DC characteristics of the junction and its mixing properties have been experimentally studied and compared to the results of (a) a single Josephson mixer without the on-chip HTS filters, and (b) our previously reported MMIC down-converter which had very different junction characteristics. The Josephson junction parameters are analysed to give insight into their effect on the mixer performance.
Microwave mixing and parametric conversion in YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7/ microbridges were investigated. The devices have been operated as down-converters, converting a 20-GHz radio frequency to a 1.5-GHz intermediate frequency under the action of an 18.5-GHz local oscillator. The microbridges were fabricated both as granular films on MgO substrates possessing grain boundary weak links and as epitaxial films deposited over substrate steps in LaAlO/sub 3/ substrates. The authors have measured conversion gains as high as -8+or-4 dB when mixing on the nonlinear resistive (superconducting-normal) transition and as high as -30 to -40 dB when parametrically converting via the nonlinear inductance of the bridge at bias currents less than the critical current. Output referred noise powers as low as -206 dB/Hz (3*10/sup -21/ W/Hz) have been measured. In some samples, noise switching events were observed.>
First we report on the microwave characteristics of the third order intermodulation distortion (IMD3) in a High-Tc Superconductor (HTS) Josephson Junction (JJ) Downconverter at 12 GHz. We have successfully developed high quality nonlinear YBCO microbridge Josephson junctions for such an active MMIC as a mixer with RF, LO, IF and bias filters, which have been fabricated on (100) MgO substrates with 20 mm X 20 mm X 0.5 mm dimensions. The minimum conversion loss of the JJ mixer is 11 dB at very small local microwave input power LO equals -20 dBm which is two order less than a Schottky diode mixer. Consequently, this small optimum LO power gives the small rf input power at which the output IF power of the YBCO mixer saturates. Two-tone third-order intercept point (IP3) performance is a significantly important figure of merit typically used to define linearity of devices and circuits. The rf input power equals -15 dBm at the IP3 point is obtained for the YBCO mixer at 15 K and LO equals 10.935 GHz with -22 dBm. We have successfully measured the dependence of IMD3 on temperature, bias current, and LO power.
A compact high-Tc superconducting (HTS) monolithic downconverter is presented. The HTS passive and active devices are integrated on one single chip to achieve compactness and high coupling efficiency. The downconverter consists of a HTS YBa2Cu3O7−x (YBCO) bandpass filter for RF input, a lowpass filter for IF output, and a self-pumped step-edge Josephson heterodyne mixer fabricated on a 20 ×10 mm MgO substrate. Characterisations of the HTS filters and the frequency response of the on-chip integrated downconverter are reported. The results demonstrate the potential of the HTS downconverter for applications in wireless communications.
A high-temperature superconducting (HTS) Josephson frequency down-converting module is demonstrated. An HTS monolithic frequency down-converting circuit and a biasing circuit board for the Josephson device are packaged into the module. The monolithic circuit consists of HTS filters and a Josephson oscillator-mixer device, integrated on a single 10 mm × 20 mm chip of Y Ba 2 Cu 3 O 7− x (YBCO) film on MgO substrate. A compact, low-loss HTS step-impedance low-pass filter was designed for the intermediate frequency (IF) output port. The modeling, simulation and measurement results of the HTS low-pass filter are presented in this paper. The frequency response and dynamic range of the on-chip integrated HTS down-converting module are also described.