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IEEE Transactions on Applied Superconductivity

Kinetic Inductive Model of a Millimeter-Wave High-Temperature Superconducting Optoelectronic Mixer

A. Hamed Majedi, S.K. Chaudhuri, Safeddin Safavi-Naeini

Published Sep 1, 2004• 7 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We introduce and analyze an optoelectronic mixer (OEM) based on the kinetic inductive photoresponse in high-temperature superconducting (HTS) films. This device combines photodetection and optoelectronic mixing functions through a nonlinear change in the kinetic inductance of the HTS film when it is irradiated by an optically modulated microwave signal. A comprehensive theoretical analysis is presented using the two-temperature model to describe the nonbolometric (quantum) photoresponse and the kinetic inductance model for the electrical part. Upon the optical irradiation, the change in the electron temperature of the HTS film leads to a parametric change in the kinetic inductance of the photoexcited HTS bridge, which in the presence of a bias current produces a periodic voltage waveform. In order to obtain the temporal behavior and the frequency content of the output voltage in terms of the input local oscillator and modulation frequencies, the kinetic inductance model and Fourier series analysis have been used and their physical consequences have been discussed in detail. The merit characteristics of the kinetic inductive HTS-OEM, such as intrinsic and optical conversion gains and noise temperature, are evaluated and compared with other high-frequency mixers. This is followed by the numerical simulation of the proposed device.

DOI
10.1109/tasc.2004.830601

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We introduce and analyze an optoelectronic mixer (OEM) based on the kinetic inductive photoresponse in high-temperature superconducting (HTS) films. This device combines photodetection and optoelectronic mixing functions through a nonlinear change in the kinetic inductance of the HTS film when it is irradiated by an optically modulated microwave signal. A comprehensive theoretical analysis is presented using the two-temperature model to describe the nonbolometric (quantum) photoresponse and the kinetic inductance model for the electrical part. Upon the optical irradiation, the change in the electron temperature of the HTS film leads to a parametric change in the kinetic inductance of the photoexcited HTS bridge, which in the presence of a bias current produces a periodic voltage waveform. In order to obtain the temporal behavior and the frequency content of the output voltage in terms of the input local oscillator and modulation frequencies, the kinetic inductance model and Fourier series analysis have been used and their physical consequences have been discussed in detail. The merit characteristics of the kinetic inductive HTS-OEM, such as intrinsic and optical conversion gains and noise temperature, are evaluated and compared with other high-frequency mixers. This is followed by the numerical simulation of the proposed device.
Traveling-wave parametric amplifiers may be fabricated from superconducting films that exhibit highly nonlinear kinetic inductance. The coplanar waveguide of such a microwave device, extending to a meter or more in length but compacted to reside on a chip of the order of a square centimeter, is engineered with periodic variations in its width. These width variations, or loadings, alter the dispersion characteristics of a nonlinear current propagating along the waveguide, changing its group velocity and modulation behavior. A strong pump and a small signal injected into one end of the waveguide mix parametrically in the presence of the nonlinear kinetic inductance. Engineered dispersion induces the favorable conditions of overall phase matching, leading to generation of idler products as well as signal amplification of wide bandwidth, high dynamic range, and low noise, making the device of particular use in quantum computing and photon detection. The authors present a theoretical framework in which signal gain may be calculated solely from loading design. This involves construction of a metamaterial band theory of the engineered dispersion, which is used as a basis to describe the mixing of nonlinear traveling waves.
Millimeter-wave superconducting devices offer a platform for quantum experiments at temperatures above 1 K, and new avenues for studying light-matter interactions in the strong coupling regime. Using the intrinsic nonlinearity associated with kinetic inductance of thin-film materials, we realize four-wave mixing at millimeter-wave frequencies, demonstrating a key component for superconducting quantum systems. We report on the performance of niobium nitride resonators around 100 GHz, patterned on thin (20--50-nm) films grown by atomic layer deposition, with sheet inductances up to 212pH/◻212\phantom{\rule{0.2em}{0ex}}\mathrm{pH}/◻212pH/◻ and critical temperatures up to 13.9 K. For films thicker than 20 nm, we measure quality factors from $1\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{4}$ to $6\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{4}$, and explore potential loss mechanisms. Finally, we measure degenerate parametric conversion for a 95-GHz device with a forward efficiency up to +16dB+16\phantom{\rule{0.2em}{0ex}}\mathrm{dB}+16dB, paving the way for the development of nonlinear quantum devices at millimeter-wave frequencies.
An analysis is presented for the behavior of the superconducting quasi-particle nonlinear transmission line driven by a high-frequency local oscillator (LO). The theory developed includes a large-signal nonlinear analysis, a small-signal analysis, and a noise analysis. This model is used to simulate the conversion loss and noise temperature of distributed quasi-particle mixers based on the nonlinear transmission line. The numerical results are compared to an experimental mixer at 460 GHz. The theory also predicts that the nonlinear transmission line will provide parametric amplification when the idler frequency is inductively tuned. This new phenomenon may present new opportunities to low-noise receiver systems at submillimeter wavelengths.
We report the experimental evaluation of a high-temperature superconducting (HTS) Josephson mixer. The mixer is fabricated from a HTS step-edge junction on MgO substrate. The mixer device operates as a lower side-band down-converter from a radio frequency between 6 and 10 GHz to a 1-2 GHz intermediate frequency under the action of a local oscillator. The experimental results of the current-voltage characteristics, optimal bias conditions, dynamic range, linearity, conversion gain, and the temperature dependence of the mixer are presented.
This paper studies the theory of traveling-wave photodetection in superconductive multilayer optical waveguides, as a general platform for ultrafast, ultrasensitive, and ultralow-noise optoelectronics. The kinetic inductance theory of superconductive thin films and the modified transmission line theory are employed to investigate the distributed photodetection and signal generation mechanisms in superconductive traveling-wave devices. A general model for calculation of the optical responsivity of superconductive traveling-wave photodetectors is developed and operation regimes of interest are highlighted. Moreover, the inclusion of a photoconductive layer in the device structure and some important loading schemes are discussed and their effects on the device performance, such as quantum efficiency and electrical bandwidth, are addressed.
and Vladimir V. MitinWayne State University, Detroit, MI 48202Boris S. Karasik and William R. McGrathJet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology,Pasadena, CA 91109We consider a new type of hot-electron mixer that employs a kinetic-inductance response in a superconducting film near superconductingtransition. The significant advantage of this mixer over the resistiveone is that the intermediate frequency bandwidth and the localoscillator power can be adjusted independently. The intermediatefrequency bandwidth is determined by the inverse quasiparticlesmultiplication time. The local oscillator power is determined by theelectron cooling time, which is the electron-phonon relaxation time forphonon-cooled mixers. Our modeling has shown that the intermediatefrequency bandwidth can be as large as 50 GHz along with the localoscillator power of about 10 nW and the conversion efficiency — 0.01.Currently, hot-electron superconducting bolometer (HEB) mixers are the mostsensitive heterodyne detectors at THz frequencies. Both the diffusion and the phononcooled HEB mixers demonstrate very good noise characteristics [1,2]. The achievednoise temperature in practical mixers is approximately 10 times higher than the quantumlimit,