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International Conference on Infrared, Millimeter, and Terahertz Waves (IRMMW-THz)

SMMW detectors; quasiparticle mixer and Josephson mixer using superconducting tunnel junction

Syozo Imai, Seizo Morita, Yosihisa Takeuti, Nobuo Mikoshiba

Published Dec 1, 1985• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

There are growing needs for low noise and wide band receiver in SMMW range, e.g., in radio astronomy [1]. Hitherto, Schottky diode mixer, Josephson mixer using point contact microbridges, and quasiparticle mixer using superconducting tunnel junctions have been investigated intensively in MMW range. Over wide SMMW range, however, only Schottky diode mixer was tested and used at present. Quasiparticle mixer now confronts a basic difficulty for operation in SMMW range, although it has very high potential as a SMMW mixer. On the otherhand, potential of Josephson mixer using microbridges is unclear.

DOI
10.1109/irmm.1985.9126591

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There are growing needs for low noise and wide band receiver in SMMW range, e.g., in radio astronomy [1]. Hitherto, Schottky diode mixer, Josephson mixer using point contact microbridges, and quasiparticle mixer using superconducting tunnel junctions have been investigated intensively in MMW range. Over wide SMMW range, however, only Schottky diode mixer was tested and used at present. Quasiparticle mixer now confronts a basic difficulty for operation in SMMW range, although it has very high potential as a SMMW mixer. On the otherhand, potential of Josephson mixer using microbridges is unclear.
Quasiparticle and Josephson tunneling currents in superconducting tunnel junctions provide nonlinear low-noise response up to terahertz frequencies. Many types of direct detector heterodyne mixer and parametric amplifier based on these effects have been explored. Only the SIS quasiparticle mixer has been sufficiently competitive to find significant applications. These mixers can have noise approaching the quantum limit TN = ℏω/k and gain larger than 10 dB. They are used at a number of observatories for molecular line radio astronomy at millimeter wavelengths. Similar applications at submillimeter wavelengths are beginning.
It is now possible to develop a new class of receivers for the millimeter and shorter wavelength region by application of Josephson and other electron tunneling phenomena which occur in superconducting materials. This development represents a major advance in receiver sensitivity and will be applicable over a wide frequency interval. Operating in the conventional heterodyne detection mode this receiver has a theoretical noise temperature as low as 20 Kelvin at 100 GHz. Three basic components required are: a superconductor-semiconductor Schottky diode mixer; a Josephson junction phase-locked multiplier local oscillator; and a Josephson parametric amplifier. The component and system design and limiting factors will be discussed.
This chapter discusses the high sensitivity superconducting mixers, i.e. detectors used in heterodyne receivers. Today, there are essentially two very successful concepts of superconducting mixers, or frequency down-converters, the superconductor-insulator-superconductor tunnel junction SIS mixer and the superconducting hot-electron bolometer mixer. Moving up to higher frequencies in the microwave and millimeter wave electromagnetic spectra makes it more and more difficult to retrieve a good signal-to-noise ratio with ordinary solid-state amplifiers. The driving force for using superconducting mixers is their excellent down-conversion efficiency and capability to down-convert RF signals from microwave frequencies up to the terahertz region. The main purpose of a receiver is to pick up and amplify a weak signal, which can then be accurately determined in amplitude and phase. The mixer noise temperature and conversion gain are the most important parameters for the mixing device. The Josephson junction mixer was one of the first suggested devices based on superconducting point contacts and later tunnel junctions.
Single particle (quasiparticle) tunneling through an insulating barrier between two superconductors or between a superconductor and a normal conductor is being used to make very low noise detectors and mixers for millimeter wavelengths. The nonlinearity of the I-V curve obtained from tunneling between two superconductors can be so strong that classical theory breaks down and photon assisted tunneling theory must be used to understand device performance. Quantum theory predicts that a quasiparticle tunnel junction can be operated as a microwave photon detector with quantum efficiency close to unity or as a heterodyne mixer with conversion gain and with mixer noise temperature comparable with the quantum noise limit T sub M = h omega/k. Both of these predictions have been experimentally realized at 36GHz using superconductor-insulator-superconductor junctions. It appears probable that these quasiparticle detectors and mixers will supercede the corresponding Josephson effect devices at millimeter wavelengths. (Author)
Superconducting thin film tunnel junctions of small area (.1 \rightarrow 1μm2) have properties which make them suitable for high frequency (≳100 GHz) heterodyne receivers. Both pair and single quasiparticle tunneling is present in these devices, but it is found that the mixing due to the pair effect is apparently excessively noisy, whereas the single quasiparticle effect has a low noise character which gives hope for near quantum limited performance. The physical effect involved is photon assisted quasiparticle tunneling and was first observed by Dayem and Martin[1]. We have made laboratory tests at 115 and 230 GHz which gave single side band (SSB) mixer noise temperatures of 60 and 300 K respectively. Also we have fabricated a 90-140 GHz receiver for the Caltech Owens Valley Radio Observatory which has an overall receiver noise temperature of about 300 K (SSB).
Josephson junctions are highly nonlinear and respond up to infrared frequencies. A wide variety of high frequency applications have been explored. In addition, several high frequency superconducting devices are being developed which do not use the Josephson effect. These include a superconducting version of the Schottky barrier diode for use as a heterodyne mixer and a video detector, and also a composite superconducting bolometer. In this review, the state of development of superconducting mixers, detectors, and parametric amplifiers at microwave, millimeter, and submillimeter wavelengths is discussed. Emphasis will be placed on developments which have taken place since 1974 when a previous review was circulated.