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Superconductor Science and Technology

Observation of a voltage-tunable sub-mm wave response from a YBCO Josephson device, operating in self-pumping mode

K. Y. Constantinian, G. A. Ovsyannikov, I. V. Borisenko, Pavel A. Yagoubov

Published Nov 14, 2001• 6 citations
Publisher

Abstract

The first experimental data are presented on the observation of a response of a noise signal applied to a tunable-by-voltage high- T C Josephson mixer operating in a self-pumping mode within the frequency band of f = 750–970 GHz at ambient temperature T = 12.5 K. The mixer device was a thin-film YBaCuO bicrystal Josephson junction coupled with the electrodes patterned in log-periodic antenna. Experimental junctions exhibit RSJ-like I–V characteristics with a product of I C R N ≈ 2 mV ( I C is the critical current and R N is the normal state resistance). Down-converted signal response was examined at an intermediate frequency band within 1–2 GHz by means of the Fourier transform spectroscopy technique. Evaluated from Fourier transform spectrograms clear double-side band mixer response functions were registered at any of the fixed bias voltages in the range of V = 1.65–2.1 mV.

DOI
10.1088/0953-2048/14/12/304

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The first experimental data are presented on the observation of a response of a noise signal applied to a tunable-by-voltage high- T C Josephson mixer operating in a self-pumping mode within the frequency band of f = 750–970 GHz at ambient temperature T = 12.5 K. The mixer device was a thin-film YBaCuO bicrystal Josephson junction coupled with the electrodes patterned in log-periodic antenna. Experimental junctions exhibit RSJ-like I–V characteristics with a product of I C R N ≈ 2 mV ( I C is the critical current and R N is the normal state resistance). Down-converted signal response was examined at an intermediate frequency band within 1–2 GHz by means of the Fourier transform spectroscopy technique. Evaluated from Fourier transform spectrograms clear double-side band mixer response functions were registered at any of the fixed bias voltages in the range of V = 1.65–2.1 mV.
A Josephson quasioptical detector comprising YBaCuO junction on bicrystal MgO substrate, integrated log-periodic Au antenna, MgO extended hyperhemisphere lens attached to the substrate and 1.4 GHz cold amplifier with cold circulator has been designed, fabricated and experimentally studied. We fabricated several integrated Josephson junctions 1-2 /spl mu/m wide which at 4.2 K demonstrate RSJ IV curves with critical currents 100-300 /spl mu/A and normal resistance of 10-20 /spl Omega/. The noise temperature (T/sub N/) at 4.2 K and 330 GHz measured by a hot/cold load method in fundamental mixing mode with external BWO local oscillator brings T/sub N/=1100 K for the junction shunted by low-inductance resistive shunt and T/sub N/=1400 K without shunting. At bath temperatures of 20-40 K the noise temperature was in the range 1500-3000 K, at 50 K the noise temperature was below 2000 K, and at 60-70 K increased over 3000 K in the frequency range 310-586 GHz. The noise temperatures measured in the self-pumping mode vary between 580-2300 K with dc bias in the range 0.1-0.5 mV. The linewidth of Josephson oscillations has been extracted from a selective detector response and IF noise voltage dependence. The measured excess noise can be attributed to shot noise and multiple Andreev reflection in pinholes with Ss'S structure. We observed small subharmonic steps in IV curve and noise dependencies, which are typical for SNS junctions.
Detectors made from superconducting cuprate YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub x/ bicrystal Josephson junctions (BJJs) on sapphire and NdGaO/sub 3/ substrates have been fabricated and characterized in the frequency band 200-900 GHz. Junctions on sapphire substrates had a normal state resistance R/sub N//spl ap/15-60 /spl Omega/, and I/sub C/R/sub N/ product up to 2.5 mV at T=4.2 K. Junctions on NdGaO/sub 3/ substrates had lower R/sub N/=1-5 /spl Omega/ and I/sub C/R/sub N/=0.4-0.9 mV at T=77 K. Three types of detecting devices have been investigated in both the broadband and the frequency-selective detection modes. One type was patterned with log-periodic antenna, and two others with Pt-metal double-slot antenna designed for a central frequency f=300 GHz and f=400 GHz, respectively. Measurements at f=320 GHz of the reception bandwidth /spl Delta/f for a device with double-slot antenna gave a quality factor Q=f//spl Delta/f/spl ap/10. A low-noise cooled 1-2 GHz bandwidth amplifier enables a better sensitivity in the self-pumping frequency mixing mode, avoiding the 1/f noise. The dependence of the spectral density of noise on voltage was compared to the data for the Josephson emission linewidth obtained by the selective detector response method. Also discussed are measurements at 500 GHz of the NEP values carried out at different experimental conditions.
Experimental evaluation of a high-temperature superconducting Josephson heterodyne mixer based on a 'resistive-SQUID' configuration is reported. The device consists of two YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7− x step-edge Josephson junctions connected via a small resistor in an otherwise superconducting loop. It has been previously shown to generate a heterodyne oscillation, which is frequency-tunable by a control current through the resistor. Under certain conditions, this device can operate as a frequency-tunable heterodyne mixer (down-converter) in the presence of an RF signal. In this paper, we describe the operation of the autonomous Josephson mixer–local oscillator device and present the experimental results on the mixer performances in terms of the junction current–voltage characteristics, the frequency tunability, linearity, and dynamic range as well as their temperature dependence for signal frequencies from 1 to 5 GHz.
We report on the mixing properties of high-T, superconductor (HTS) Josephson junctions. Direct radiation and heterodyne mixing experiments in the frequency range 78 GHz-119 GHz have been performed using YBa 2Cu30 7_ x (YBCO) step-edge junctions (SEJ) and bicrystal junctions (BO) on LaA10 3 and MgO substrates. Under external radiation our junctions showed harmonic phase synchronization (Shapiro steps) up to 1.88 THz. Junctions with current voltage characteristics (PVC) dose to predictions of the resistively shunted junction model (RSJ) were mounted into a heterodyne mixing setup. Under the radiation of two monochromatic signals we obtained conversion efficiencies around -14 dB in the 11 GHz intermediate frequency (IF) band. In the fundamental mixing regime we observed response at IF at working temperatures up to 72K. We demonstrated the operation of HTS Josephson junctions in the self-mixing mode. The experimental results are in good agreement with simulations using the RSJ model.
An HTS Josephson spectrometer has been designed, fabricated and experimentally studied. The spectrometer circuit consists of a YBCO bicrystal Josephson junction integrated with a double-slot or log-periodic antenna, connected in parallel with a gold low-inductance shunt. The selective detector response and RF response at intermediate frequency f IF = 1.4 GHz were measured in the signal frequency range f s = 400-1250 GHz and the linewidth of Josephson oscillations (LJO) was determined by using three different methods. (1) The Hilbert spectroscopy approach was used in the processing of the selective detector response. (2) In case of f IF < LJO the detector and RF responses have similar shapes, allowing the spectrum and LJO to be extracted from the RF response and even processing by modified Hilbert spectroscopy. (3) The RF response at f IF > LJO corresponds to the frequency down-conversion in a self-pumped Josephson mixer mode. For the processing of the RF response in the high f IF limit we suggest a novel method that allows extraction of the signal spectrum by means of simple operations: shifting, summing and subtracting. The advantage of the RF response method is in its simplicity and higher sensitivity that allows it to be proposed for spectroscopy applications.
We have recently developed a high-temperature superconducting (HTS) Josephson self-pumped mixer with an on-chip heterodyne local oscillator. The device is based on HTS step-edge junction technology and a “resistive-superconducting quantum interference device” (RSQUID) configuration. The heterodyne local oscillator and mixer output are frequency-tunable from below 10 MHz to 5 GHz by a control current. The performance of the autonomous Josephson mixer–local oscillator has been experimentally evaluated in terms of the current-voltage characteristics, intermediate frequency (IF)-tunable bandwidth, operation range, linearity, bias current, and temperature dependence of the IF output (or mixer conversion efficiency). We find the results are in good overall agreement with numerical simulation.