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European Microwave Conference (EuMC)

Studies of Josephson Mixing in SIS Junctions

Alexander N. Vystavkin, Michael A. Tarasov, G. Prokopenko, S. Shitovl, Stellan Jacobsson, V. P. Koshelets, Sergey Kovtonyuk, C. Holmstedt, Lyudmila V. Filippenko, I.L. Lapitskaya, E. Kollberg

Published Sep 1, 1994• 2 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Integrated receiving structure comprising self-Babinet-complementary spiral antenna and two SIS junctions connected in series via two matching microstrip structures has been designed, fabricated and experimentally studied. The calculated microwave responsp for such receiving structure has two maxima at 450 and 900 GHz. Direct detector response of such receiving structures has been measured using Fourier Transform Spectrometer in the frequency range 0.1 -1 THz. Microwave mixer performance has been measured with 500 GHz band LO source. The Josephson conversion with noise temperature of about 100 K was observed in the vicinity of the first Shapiro step at about 0.95 mV corresponding to 475 GHz signal frequency and with noise temperature 360 K near the second step at 1.8 mV corresponding to 900 GHz signal frequency. To prove that it was correct frequency down conversion the additional experiment was performed at first Shapiro step using the 4-th harmonic of Gunn oscillator 4×120 GHz instead of hot/cold load signal source.

DOI
10.1109/euma.1994.337507

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Integrated receiving structure comprising self-Babinet-complementary spiral antenna and two SIS junctions connected in series via two matching microstrip structures has been designed, fabricated and experimentally studied. The calculated microwave responsp for such receiving structure has two maxima at 450 and 900 GHz. Direct detector response of such receiving structures has been measured using Fourier Transform Spectrometer in the frequency range 0.1 -1 THz. Microwave mixer performance has been measured with 500 GHz band LO source. The Josephson conversion with noise temperature of about 100 K was observed in the vicinity of the first Shapiro step at about 0.95 mV corresponding to 475 GHz signal frequency and with noise temperature 360 K near the second step at 1.8 mV corresponding to 900 GHz signal frequency. To prove that it was correct frequency down conversion the additional experiment was performed at first Shapiro step using the 4-th harmonic of Gunn oscillator 4×120 GHz instead of hot/cold load signal source.
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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.
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.
A waveguide mixer based on a Josephson junction made from a high-temperature superconductor (HTS) has been analysed at frequencies of 90 GHz and 115 GHz. The mixer consisted of a single-grain-boundary bicrystal junction which was integrated with a bow-tie antenna and a microstrip filter structure fabricated on an MgO substrate. Two different designs of mixer block were tested. Using the first design the best noise performance was measured at a local oscillator (LO) frequency of about 90 GHz. At the projected LO frequency of 115 GHz significant deterioration of performance was observed. A computer simulation of the mixer chip and substrate channel structure was performed using the 3D simulation program HFSS. Sufficient RF signal rejection by the filter structure was confirmed at 90 GHz. After a simulation cycle at 115 GHz the substrate channel in the mixer block was modified. Using this second design we measured a double-sideband mixer noise temperature of 1090 K at 10 K operating temperature which is the best performance of an HTS Josephson mixer to date obtained at this frequency and temperature.
We report on experimental studies of the noise performance and conversion efficiency of high-Te Josephson mixers at frequencies between 90 GHz and 550 GHz. The heterodyne mixing experiments have been performed by using YBa2Cu307_8 step-edge junctions and bicrystal junctions on MgO (E--9.6) substrates. We studied the Josephson mixer performance for the case of internal pumping (selfpumping) and external pumping. Receiver noise measurements in a waveg,uide setup for the case of external pumping at 90-94 GHz gave formally calculated double-side-band (DSB) mixer noise temperatures (Tm) of about 2000 K at physical temperatures of 10 K. Similar measurements in a quasioptical setup at 4.2 K and at operation frequencies of 430 GHz and 546 GHz yielded mixer noise temperatures of 1200 K and 1100 K, respectively. Using the internal pumped mode, i.e. mixing without external local oscillator signal, we also obtained clear IF response in hot/cold-measurements. The formally calculated Tm were between 580 K and 2300 K.
We have developed resistively shunted tunnel junctions with a small parasitic inductance (/spl equiv/100 fH) to improve the high-frequency performance of Josephson array oscillators. Josephson array oscillators with 11 such junctions and Nb microstrip resonators were designed and fabricated to operate at 690 GHz. Shapiro steps induced by Josephson oscillation were clearly observed at the submillimeter frequency region. By comparing the step height with the numerical simulation, we estimated the power of the Josephson oscillator delivered to the load resistor to be about 10 /spl mu/W at 625 GHz. The linewidth of the Josephson array oscillator was also measured using an integrated receiver consisting of two Josephson array oscillators and an SIS mixer. The designed frequency of the receiver was set at 550 GHz. IF output power spectrum was observed when both the oscillators were biased at about 1.17 mV which corresponds to 566 GHz. The composite linewidth of Josephson oscillation was measured about 8 MHz at 4.2 K.