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IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques

Results, Potentials, and Limitations of Josephson-Mixer Receivers at Millimeter and Long Submillimeter Wavelengths

JOCHEN EDRICH, B. Sullivan, Donald G. McDonald

Published Jun 1, 1977• 21 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Millimeter-wave mixers using Josephson point contacts are described, which exhibit a conversion loss L/sub c/ = 9.5 dB and a noise temperature T ~ 223 K for lambda >or= 0.95 mm. Their potentials and limitations in noise, bandwidth, drive power, and stability for receiver applications are discussed.
DOI
10.1109/tmtt.1977.1129138

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Chin. Phys.; (United States)•Apr 1, 1982•0 citations
Point contact Josephson junctions can function as millimeter wave heterodyne mixers with conversion gain. The best results achieved thus far show a single sideband conversion gain of 1.3 and a mixer contribution to the system noise temperature of 54sup0sup 0sup0K. Both of these results are approximately 5 times better than the best published figures for cooled Schottky barrier diode mixers operated at the same frequency. The measured noise for a variety of junctions can be expressed as a universal function of the normalized rf frequency OmegaOmegaOmega = homegaomegaomega/2eI/sub c/R. It is about a factor 2 larger than the calculated noise arising from the thermal noise in the junction shunt resistance, R. The noise calculation was done for the resistively shunted junction model using an analog junction simulator. (auth)
The Josephson frequency conversion in the millimeter and submillimeter wave region is studied with superconducting Nb–Nb point-contact junctions at 4.2 °K, using the contact both as the local oscillator and the mixer with intermediate frequencies of 0.1, 0.3, and 9.2 GHz. The point contact is in a nonresonant structure and fed by a constant current source: neither a strong rf coupling of the contact with a cavity nor a stabilizing shunt resistance was proved necessary. The direct observation of frequency conversion was performed with a microwave receiver at 9.2 GHz in a range of Josephson frequencies between 145 and 1600 GHz. The experiments with intermediate frequencies fi of 0.1 and 0.3 GHz indicate that conventional frequency conversion does not occur but that the observed signals are related to noise effects. An analysis of the frequency conversion mechanism in a Josephson junction operated as an oscillator-mixer is proposed which includes the noise effects and also the feedback effects induced in a junction driven by a constant current source. The results show that low-frequency current components are induced in the junction, which can give large spurious signals when small i.f. are used.