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IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques

Microwave detectors based on granular high-T/sub c/ thin films

Janusz Konopka, Roman Sobolewski, Grzegorz Jung, Witold Kula, Piotr Gierłowski, A. Konopka, Stanislaw J. Lewandowski

Published Jan 1, 1990• 22 citations
Publisher

Abstract

The detecting and mixing properties of microstrip superconducting Y-Ba-Cu-O and Bi-Ca-Sr-Cu-O thin-film structures deposited on various substrates have been investigated. The device performance was tested in the 22-, 55-, and 110-GHz frequency bands at temperatures ranging from 100 K to about 50 K. The sensitivity obtained at 110 GHz was comparable to that of crystalline detectors. Mixing experiments were performed in the 25-GHz frequency band and indicated that the detector response time is less than 40 ps. The intermediate frequency was varied from 50 MHz to 5 GHz without any decrease in the mixer output up to 3 GHz. Auxiliary emission measurements performed at 12 GHz and down to 4.2 K revealed that the detector low-temperature performance limit is associated with microwave radiation from clusters of intergrain weak links arranged in multiloop quantum interferometers.>

DOI
10.1109/22.46426

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Millimeter-wave detection in the heterodyne mixing mode has been carried out using the high-T/sub c/ superconducting GBJJ (grain boundary Josephson junction). The GBJJ was fabricated from high T/sub c/ superconducting Y-Ba-Cu-O films, prepared on YSZ and SrTiO/sub 3/ substrates using an RF sputtering technique. The junction was patterned by chemical wet etching with phosphoric acid solution. The authors carried out experiments in the heterodyne mixing mode for a signal of 35 GHz with local oscillation at 34.97 GHz. The detected IF (intermediate frequency) output power was obtained at a bias voltage lying midway between the zeroth and first Shapiro steps. A mixer conversion efficiency of -15 dB was obtained with a dynamic range of about 20 dB at 35 GHz. This result strongly implies that high-T/sub c/ superconducting GBJJ works well as a detector at millimeter-wave frequencies.>

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Thin-film SQUID’s fabricated from the high Tc refractory material NbN have been studied at 9.4 GHz. Devices with granular weak links display a Josephson critical current dependence over a wide range of temperatures below Tc. We have observed open loop signal-to-noise ratios as high as 20 000 corresponding to a minimum detectable energy of 1×10−30 J in a 1 Hz bandwidth over a temperature range of several °K. In two samples, the response time was found to be limited by the intrinsic gap response time, τg∼h//2Δ (T). These devices are rugged, stable, cycle well, and have good SQUID properties at both 9.4 GHz and 20 MHz.

Applied Physics Letters•Dec 1, 1979•6 citations
The detecting and mixing properties of microstrip superconducting Y-Ba-Cu-O and Bi-Ca-Sr-Cu-O thin-film structures deposited on various substrates have been investigated. The device performance was tested in the 22-, 55-, and 110-GHz frequency bands at temperatures ranging from 100 K to about 50 K. The sensitivity obtained at 110 GHz was comparable to that of crystalline detectors. Mixing experiments were performed in the 25-GHz frequency band and indicated that the detector response time is less than 40 ps. The intermediate frequency was varied from 50 MHz to 5 GHz without any decrease in the mixer output up to 3 GHz. Auxiliary emission measurements performed at 12 GHz and down to 4.2 K revealed that the detector low-temperature performance limit is associated with microwave radiation from clusters of intergrain weak links arranged in multiloop quantum interferometers.>
Microwave properties of an Y-Ba-Cu-O microstrip detector have been studied at 24 GHz frequency band at the liquid-nitrogen temperature. The amplitude of the video detection signal was found to be proportional to the incident microwave power. Direct mixing action was also demonstrated, setting the upper limit for the film response time as short as 40 ps. Occurrence of microwave mixing in the absence of dc current bias was observed, suggesting the presence of the inverse Josephson effect. Physical properties of the detector response were very similar to the enhanced mode of detection, characteristic for granular superconducting films.
Detecting properties of Y-Ba-Cu-O granular thin film structures obtained by two differnt technological methods and using three different substrate materials have been studied at millimetre waves. The response to 25 and 100 GHz radiation is presented as the function of dc bias current for several temperatures around 77 K. For power levels below saturation the amplitudes of the recovered video signals were found to be proportional to the incident power. Sensitiviy obtained at 110 GHz is comparable to that of crystal point-contact detector. Preliminary results on mixing of two Ku-band sources for IF frequencies up to 5 GHz are presented, indicating that the response time of Y-Ba-Cu-O films is shorter than 40 ps. Due to pronounced quantum effects, which manifest themselves especially in narrow superconducting strips below 60 K, at present state of the technology the usefulness of investigated detectors is limited to liquid nitrogen temperatures.
We report here results of our investigations of the nonbolometric mode of detection in granular Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O thin films. We find that both bolometric and nonbolometric modes appear in the same sample under mutually exclusive conditions: bolometric with light (633 nm) and nonbolometric with microwaves (9 GHz). Our measurements indicate that the nonbolometric mode of detection is more sensitive than the bolometric mode in our samples, a result which offers promise for application to microwave power measurement. Possible mechanisms for the nonbolometric mode are reviewed, and the concept of using a broadband spiral antenna directly coupled to the superconducting detector for microwave power sensing is briefly described.
Millimeter-wave detection in the heterodyne mixing mode has been carried out using the high-T/sub c/ superconducting GBJJ (grain boundary Josephson junction). The GBJJ was fabricated from high T/sub c/ superconducting Y-Ba-Cu-O films, prepared on YSZ and SrTiO/sub 3/ substrates using an RF sputtering technique. The junction was patterned by chemical wet etching with phosphoric acid solution. The authors carried out experiments in the heterodyne mixing mode for a signal of 35 GHz with local oscillation at 34.97 GHz. The detected IF (intermediate frequency) output power was obtained at a bias voltage lying midway between the zeroth and first Shapiro steps. A mixer conversion efficiency of -15 dB was obtained with a dynamic range of about 20 dB at 35 GHz. This result strongly implies that high-T/sub c/ superconducting GBJJ works well as a detector at millimeter-wave frequencies.>
Thin-film SQUID’s fabricated from the high Tc refractory material NbN have been studied at 9.4 GHz. Devices with granular weak links display a Josephson critical current dependence over a wide range of temperatures below Tc. We have observed open loop signal-to-noise ratios as high as 20 000 corresponding to a minimum detectable energy of 1×10−30 J in a 1 Hz bandwidth over a temperature range of several °K. In two samples, the response time was found to be limited by the intrinsic gap response time, τg∼h//2Δ (T). These devices are rugged, stable, cycle well, and have good SQUID properties at both 9.4 GHz and 20 MHz.