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Millimeter, Submillimeter, and Far-Infrared Detectors and Instrumentation for Astronomy XI

Design of an on-chip integrated 230 GHz dual-polarization balanced SIS receiver for multi-pixel array applications

Jakob Wenninger, Christine Chaumont, Faouzi M. Boussaha, Boon-Kok Tan

Published Jul 16, 2022• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We report the design of a 230 GHz dual-polarization (2-pol) balanced Superconductor-Insulator-Superconductor (SIS) receiver that can be easily extended for large array applications. We achieve this by integrating all of the required radio frequency (RF) and local oscillator (LO) components on-chip using planar superconducting circuit technology, therefore simplifying the architecture of the receiver block substantially. One major feature of our design is the planar LO injection scheme, which couples the LO with a single on-chip antenna and distributes the LO power via a series of microstrip couplers to the balanced mixers of each polarization of each pixel. In this paper, we describe in detail the design and layout of the individual planar circuit components of our receiver, as well as how they are integrated to form a full receiver. We then conclude the paper with the design of a 2-pixel array demonstrator, illustrating how the balanced SIS mixer and the LO distribution network can be extended to form an even larger array.

DOI
10.1117/12.2626929

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We report the design of a 230 GHz dual-polarization (2-pol) balanced Superconductor-Insulator-Superconductor (SIS) receiver that can be easily extended for large array applications. We achieve this by integrating all of the required radio frequency (RF) and local oscillator (LO) components on-chip using planar superconducting circuit technology, therefore simplifying the architecture of the receiver block substantially. One major feature of our design is the planar LO injection scheme, which couples the LO with a single on-chip antenna and distributes the LO power via a series of microstrip couplers to the balanced mixers of each polarization of each pixel. In this paper, we describe in detail the design and layout of the individual planar circuit components of our receiver, as well as how they are integrated to form a full receiver. We then conclude the paper with the design of a 2-pixel array demonstrator, illustrating how the balanced SIS mixer and the LO distribution network can be extended to form an even larger array.
Abstract We report the design of a compact dual-polarization on-chip superconductor–insulator–superconductor receiver for array applications. The planar-circuit receiver chip is comprised of the entire radio frequency (RF) signal processing chain with three main circuit components alongside some auxiliary circuits: (1) a polarization splitting 4-probe orthomode transducer (OMT) that couples the RF and local oscillator signal from free space to the chip via a drilled feedhorn; (2) two hybrids that recombine the power of each polarization from the two sets of orthogonal OMT probes; and (3) twin-junction Nb/AlOx/Nb mixers that downconvert the recombined signals to the intermediate frequency. We ensure that the four side walls of each pixel are free from obscuration, using only the top and bottom of the pixel for various connections. Consequently, the design is extendable to a large format array. In this paper, we present the detailed design of the on-chip receiver, including extensive heterodyne simulations and its potential extension into a large format array.
We present a conceptual framework of planar SIS mixer array receivers and the studies on the required techniques. This concept features membrane-based on-chip waveguide probes and a quasi-two-dimensional local-oscillator distribution waveguide network. This concept allows sophisticated functions, such as dual-polarization, balanced mixing and sideband separation, easily implemented with the SIS mixer array in the same planar circuit. We have developed a single-pixel prototype receiver by implementing the concept in the design. Initial measurement results show good evidences that support the feasibility of the concept.
We present a conceptual framework of planar SIS mixer array receivers and the studies on the required techniques. This concept features membrane-based on-chip waveguide probes and a quasi-two-dimensional local-oscillator distribution waveguide network. This concept allows sophisticated functions, such as dual-polarization, balanced mixing and sideband separation, easily implemented with the SIS mixer array in the same planar circuit. We have developed a single-pixel prototype receiver by implementing the concept in the design. Initial measurement results show good evidences that support the feasibility of the concept.
The article is concerned with the experimental evidence that proves technical feasibility of the hybrid planar integration (HPI) scheme that has been proposed to construct superconductor-insulator-superconductor (SIS) mixer focal plane arrays of unprecedented compactness. The scheme is characterized by the adoption of silicon membrane-based waveguide probes, which allows superconducting monolithic microwave integrated circuits to couple signal, and local oscillator (LO) from (computer numerical control)-machined waveguides through multiple paths. A 2 x 2 dual-polarization balanced SIS mixer array has been implemented with this scheme, and assessed in 125 - 163 GHz RF band. This compact array has demonstrated uniform LO distribution, and low crosstalk between pixels. The RF performance of component pixels has been confirmed to be little affected by the high-degree integration. The potential implementation of the HPI scheme at THz frequencies is also discussed.
We investigate a new concept, where a single superconductor-insulator-superconductor (SIS) based mixer chip is switched between two RF frequency bands. A single broadband antenna is used to couple the RF/LO signal to two SIS mixers via a power splitter and two superconducting on/off switches, forming a switching circuit. The planar on/off switches comprise a superconducting microstrip bridging two transmission lines used to alternate the RF/LO signal between the two branches of the power splitter circuit by switching the impedance of the microstrip from the superconducting to normal state, and vice versa. An important application of this dual-band design is to enable combination of adjacent observing astronomical windows into a single receiver cartridge, freeing valuable space in the receiver cabin.
Large-format heterodyne focal plane arrays require highly integrated receiver architectures while maintaining low noise and sufficient sideband rejection, which remains challenging for superconducting SIS mixers at millimeter wavelengths. In this work, we demonstrate, for the first time, a monolithic dual-polarization sideband-separating superconductor-insulator-superconductor (SIS) mixer operating at 2 mm wavelengths (125-163 GHz) on a silicon-on-insulator substrate. The integrated SIS mixer achieves a sideband rejection ratio exceeding 10 dB over the 4-8 GHz intermediate-frequency (IF) band across most of the radio-frequency (RF) range, with a minimum single-sideband (SSB) receiver noise temperature as low as approximately 60 K. As a key building block of the hybrid planar integration (HPI) architecture, this result verifies the feasibility of highly integrated large-format heterodyne focal plane arrays, providing a practical path toward substantially expanding the field of view of millimeter and submillimeter-wave radio telescopes.