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NASA STI/Recon Technical Report N

Superconductive devices for millimeter wave detection mixing and amplification

P. L. Richards, T. M. Shen

Published Jan 1, 1980• 0 citations
OpenAlex

Abstract

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)

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The rapid onset of quasiparticle tunneling current in superconductor-insulator-superconductor (Josephson) junctions at voltages above 2 delta/e is being used for millimeter wave heterodyne mixing. Junctions with 2 micron diameter and RN = 50 ohms have little capacitive shunting at the signal frequency of 36 GHz. Because there is no series resistance, residual capacitance can be tuned out. Single sideband conversion efficiencies of 0.18 and mixer noise temperatures as low as TM approximately 14K have been observed. Both results agree with shot noise limited mixer theory. Photon assisted tunneling effects are seen which indicate the approach to photon noise limited operation. (Author)

STIN•Oct 1, 1978•1 citation
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)
Single-particle (quasi-particle) 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 theI-Vcurve 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 quasi-particle 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 limitT_{M} =\bar{h}\omega/k. Both of these predictions have been experimentally realized at 36 GHz using superconductor-insulator-superconductor (SIS) junctions. It appears probable that these quasi-particle detectors and mixers will supercede the corresponding Josephson-effect devices at millimeter wavelengths.
We report operation of superconductor-insulator-superconductor quasiparticle tunnel junctions as mixers and detectors at millimeter wavelengths. The voltage scale of the nonlinearity in the I-V curve of such junctions can be small enough that classical device theory breaks down. Calculations based on photon assisted tunneling theory are then necessary to understand the observed performance. The performance predicted in this novel regime is sufficiently good that practical applications appear very promising. The best mixer result observed at 36 GHz is a double side-band mixer noise temperature Tm≤ 7 K which is about 4 times the photon noise limited value of hv/k. When operated as a direct detector, a current responsivity of 3,500 A/W was observed. This is half the quantum limited value e/hv, which corresponds to one tunneling electron for each incident microwave photon. The best observed NEP was 3 × 10-16W√Hz.
A computer simulation is constructed to describe the performance of superconductor-insulator-superconductor (SIS) quasiparticle heterodyne receivers in terms of photon-assisted tunneling theory. The results predict that conversion efficiencies greater than unity can be realized at millimeter wave frequencies, with noise temperatures approaching the fundamental quantum limit. The nonlinearity responsible for the mixing is the extremely rapid onset of quasiparticle tunneling current in SIS junctions near the full gap voltage 2Δ/e, and is independent of the Josephson pair currents. Substantial gain is expected under a variety of conditions and for a wide range of source and load impedances.
Photon-assisted tunneling of electrons through an insulating barrier may be used to detect long-wavelength radiation with a sensitivity approaching the limit imposed by the Heisenberg uncertainty principle. A new generation of ultra-low-noise millimeter-wave receivers, currently being developed for astronomical observation, utilizes the extremely sharp nonlinearity produced by single-electron quasiparticle tunneling between two superconductors in a superconductor-insulator-superconductor (SIS) tunnel junction. At millimeter wavelengths, the quantum energy $\frac{\ensuremath{\hbar}\ensuremath{\omega}}{e}$ may be larger than the voltage width for onset of quasiparticle tunneling in a SIS junction; and under these conditions the absorption of a single photon can cause one additional electron to tunnel through the barrier. Several newly discovered quantum effects become possible in this regime, including power amplification of an incoming signal during the process of frequency down-conversion in a heterodyne receiver. The experimental development of SIS millimeter-wave receivers is reviewed, along with the quantum theory of mixing which predicts their performance.
The rapid onset of quasiparitcle tunneling current in superconductor-insulator-superconductor (Josephson) junctions at voltages above 2Δ/e is being used for millimeter-wave heterodyne mixing. Junctions with a 2-μm diameter and RN=50 Ω have little capacitive shunting at the signal frequency of 36 GHz. Because there is no series resistance, residual capacitance can be tuned out. Double sideband conversion efficiencies of 0.32 and mixer noise temperatures as low as TM⩽7 K=4hν/k have been observed. The results are compared with shot-noise-limited mixer theory. Photon-assisted tunneling effects are seen which indicate the approach to photon-noise-limited operation.
The rapid onset of quasiparticle tunneling current in superconductor-insulator-superconductor (Josephson) junctions at voltages above 2 delta/e is being used for millimeter wave heterodyne mixing. Junctions with 2 micron diameter and RN = 50 ohms have little capacitive shunting at the signal frequency of 36 GHz. Because there is no series resistance, residual capacitance can be tuned out. Single sideband conversion efficiencies of 0.18 and mixer noise temperatures as low as TM approximately 14K have been observed. Both results agree with shot noise limited mixer theory. Photon assisted tunneling effects are seen which indicate the approach to photon noise limited operation. (Author)