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Journal of Applied Physics

Observation of bolometric optical response in superconducting microwave meander lines

Shinho Cho, Deok Choi, Harold R. Fetterman

Published Nov 15, 1998• 8 citations
Publisher

Abstract

The change in the resonant frequency of YBa2Cu3O7−x meander lines under thermal and optical perturbations was used to determine whether pair breaking effects are induced either by bolometric or nonbolometric responses. The frequency-domain measurements were performed by monitoring the change of both the microwave resonance mode frequency and frequency width. The variation of the resonant frequency induced by two external perturbations shows a quadratic dependence on each perturbation in the range of 0.28Xc–0.56Xc. A perturbation to the fourth dependence is observed above 0.63Xc, where Xc is either the critical temperature or the critical optical pulse energy at which resonance can no longer be distinguished. The results suggest that the photoresponse of the superconducting meander line is bolometric due to laser heating.

DOI
10.1063/1.368826

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The change in the resonant frequency of YBa2Cu3O7−x meander lines under thermal and optical perturbations was used to determine whether pair breaking effects are induced either by bolometric or nonbolometric responses. The frequency-domain measurements were performed by monitoring the change of both the microwave resonance mode frequency and frequency width. The variation of the resonant frequency induced by two external perturbations shows a quadratic dependence on each perturbation in the range of 0.28Xc–0.56Xc. A perturbation to the fourth dependence is observed above 0.63Xc, where Xc is either the critical temperature or the critical optical pulse energy at which resonance can no longer be distinguished. The results suggest that the photoresponse of the superconducting meander line is bolometric due to laser heating.
The microwave transmission characteristics of superconducting YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7-x/ (YBCO) meander line resonators have been investigated as a function of temperature, optical pulse energy, and input power. The measurements are performed in a temperature range from 20 K to 80 K. The optical excitation consists of a 70 psec laser pulse train at 532 nm from an actively mode-locked Nd:YAG laser. The optical pulse energy is mapped out from zero to the critical optical pulse energy at which the resonance can no longer be distinguished. The measured resonance frequency shows a squared dependence on both the temperature and the optical pulse energy. As for the dependence on input power, the resonant frequency linearly decreases at a rate of 148 kHz/dBm at 50 K.
There have been several recent reports of apparently nonbolometric optical responses in superconducting thin films. The photoresponse of 10 nm thin superconducting NbN meander lines on Si is measured at 670 nm using a diode laser modulated to more than 100 kHz. Several types of photoresponse are identified, some apparently due to the Si substrate. A fast photoresponse due to the NbN film with a responsivity of up to 125 V/W of absorbed power was observed. Results are analyzed in the context of a bolometric model, and the magnitude of the photoresponse is found to be too large for a purely bolometric response. Possible nonbolometric alternatives are discussed.>
The photoresponse of 10 nm thick superconducting NbN meander lines is measured using an amplitude modulated infrared semiconductor laser operating at a wavelength of 1300 nm. The response time of the film is found to be less than 1 ns with a measured responsivity of up to 1500 V/W of absorbed power at 100 kHz. Thermal properties of the film are extracted from current–voltage characteristics using a self-heating hot spot model. At temperatures well below the superconducting transition, the magnitude of the photoresponse is found to be an order of magnitude too large to be purely bolometric, even when electron heating and effects due to intergranular weak links are taken into account. The photoresponse is seen to be bolometric near Tc. Other contributions to photoresponse are discussed, including kinetic inductance and the photofluxonic effect.
This paper reports the design, fabrication, and measurements of optically tunable superconducting microwave resonators and delay lines. The devices are comprised of superconducting coplanar waveguide (CPW) transmission lines fabricated from a 100 nm-thick YBCO film, interrupted by 3- and 5-m YBCO meander structures of the same thickness on top of an LAO substrate. The CPW is tested at 77 K up to a frequency of 50 GHz, where it exhibits a transmission loss of about 0.12 dB/mm. The measurements are done in a cryogenic microwave probe station, where all the calibrations have been performed at 77 K. It has been observed that the resonance frequencies of the superconducting resonators can be changed by more than 2 GHz under the optical illumination at a wavelength of 1550 nm. The delay lines also exhibit a phase retardation of up to 90 at the same operating conditions.
Understanding the optical response of a superconducting microwave resonator is crucial for applications ranging from single-photon detection to quantum transduction between the microwave and optical domains. This topic is gaining significant attention for scaling up quantum computers. However, interactions between the pump light and superconducting resonators often induce unintended resonance frequency shifts and linewidth broadening. In this study, we measure the local optical response of a NbTiN nanowire resonator using a laser-scanning microwave spectroscopy system integrated with a dilution refrigerator. The optical response of the resonator correlates with the resonance modes and position, which we attribute to interactions between two-level systems (TLSs) and laser-induced phonons. These findings establish the TLS-phonon interactions as the dominant mechanism underlying laser-induced resonance variations, providing critical insights for the design and optimization of quantum transducers and superconducting single-photon detectors.
We present a systematic study of the intermediate frequency (IF) bandwidth of hot-electron bolometer mixers made from YBa2Cu3O7−x high-temperature superconductive thin films fabricated on substrates with high thermal conductivity (MgO and sapphire). At a local oscillator frequency of 100 GHz, a strong dependence of the IF bandwidth on the bias point and temperature has been experimentally found. Moreover, an unexpected IF bandwidth variation has been detected in a broad range of operating frequencies (1–480 GHz). Besides conventional bolometric mixing mechanisms associated with thermalization of electrons and phonons, the contribution of direct interaction between radiation and magnetic vortices in the YBa2Cu3O7−x film may be responsible for the observed effects.