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IEEE Transactions on Applied Superconductivity

Integrated receiving structure comprising complementary spiral antenna and tuned parallel biased SIS array

Michael A. Tarasov, S. V. Shitov, V. P. Koshelets, G.V. Prokopenko

Published Mar 1, 1993• 2 citations
Publisher

Abstract

A type of superconducting receiving element comprising a complementary spiral antenna and a series-parallel superconductor-insulator-superconductor (SIS) array with individual tuning of each SIS junction has been designed, fabricated, and experimentally studied. The array was designed for the 80-160 GHz waveband and consists of five SIS junctions, each with a 1.5- mu /sup 2/ area, six inductive short-ended slotlines, and two decoupling capacitances. The effective direct detector bandwidth of this structure with a quantum efficiency equalling unity has been estimated to be as wide as 70 GHz. The noise temperature of the heterodyne mixer has been measured in a three-lens Gaussian beam guide by means of the hot/cold load method, yielding a receiver DSB noise temperature of 80 K. The intermediate-frequency (IF) mixer port load bandwidth and the effect of thermal background radiation on the I-V curve and the saturation of the SIS mixer have been studied.>

DOI
10.1109/77.233555

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A superconductor-insulator-superconductor (SIS) mixer is described that has a broadband integrated tuning structure. The mixer is tunable from 85-116 GHz, and a midband has a noise temperature of 6+or-6 K DSB (double-side-band) and unity DSB conversion gain. Referred to the mixer input flange, the receiver noise temperature is 9+or-6 K at midband. The integral tuning structure consists of a short two-wire transmission line stub with a quarter-wave superconducting transmission line as a DC and intermediate frequency (IF) block. Despite the relatively soft I-V curves of the two-junction arrays used in these mixers, low mixer noise temperature and conversion loss were achieved.>
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The authors present two different designs of integrated tuning elements for superconducting tunnel junction mixers. The structures consist of a self-complementary log-periodic antenna, superconductor-insulator-superconductor (SIS) tunnel junction, and a broadband superconducting tuning circuit placed between the center of the antenna and the SIS junction. The designs allow good coupling to relatively large-area (7 mu m/sup 2/) junctions. The best design has a 3-dB bandwidth of 102 GHz at the central frequency of 98 GHz, and 75 GHz at the central frequency of 492 GHz. Microwave scale-model measurements show excellent agreement with simulation results. Devices are being fabricated in niobium technology.>
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.