Low noise and wide bandwidth of NbN hot-electron bolometer mixers

Tretyakov, I. V.; Ryabchun, S. A.; Finkel, Matvey; Maslennikova, Anna; Kaurova, N.; Lobastova, A. A.; Voronov, B.; Gol’tsman, G.

doi:10.1063/1.3544050

Cited by 65 publications

(39 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…A possible method to extend the GBW up to 6.5 GHz for NbN-based HEB mixers was discussed in Ref. 12, where electron diffusion from the bolometer into the contact pads was observed.…”

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confidence: 99%

Low noise MgB2 terahertz hot-electron bolometer mixers

Bevilacqua

Cherednichenko

Drakinskiy

et al. 2012

Applied Physics Letters

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We report on low noise terahertz bolometric mixers made of MgB 2 superconducting thin films. For a 10-nm-thick MgB 2 film, the lowest mixer noise temperature was 600 K at 600 GHz. For 30 to 10-nm-thick films, the mixer gain bandwidth is an inverse function of the film thickness, reaching 3.4 GHz for the 10-nm film. As the critical temperature of the film decreases, the gain bandwidth also decreases, indicating the importance of high quality thin films for large gain bandwidth mixers. The results indicate the prospect of achieving a mixer gain bandwidth as large as 10-8 GHz for 3 to 5-nm-thick MgB 2 films. Superconducting NbN hot-electron bolometer (HEB) 1 mixers are widely used for high resolution terahertz radio astronomy. 2 Such mixers have superior performance over other types of mixers (e.g., SIS, Schottky diodes) 2 at frequencies higher than 1.2 THz. 3-5 A large RF bandwidth, a low noise temperature, and low LO power requirements determined the choice of NbN HEB mixers for the Herschel space observatory. 6,7 In contrast to SIS mixers, the useful IF bandwidth of NbN HEB mixers is practically limited to 3-5 GHz, 8 as the noise temperature rises drastically at higher intermediate frequencies. The reason for this is that the HEB mixer gain rolls off as the IF exceeds the mixer's 3 dB gain bandwidth (GBW). The GBW is determined by two consequent processes in the electron energy relaxation: the electron-phonon interaction and the phonon energy relaxation. The second process mainly occurs via acoustic phonon escape into the substrate. The electron-phonon interaction time is usually a function of the temperature. For HEB mixers, the relevant electron temperature is the critical temperature of the superconducting film, T c , to which the electrons are heated by a combination of the LO power and the dc bias current. In NbN thin films, the electron-phonon interaction time is approximately s e-ph % 12 ps at 10 K. 9,10 The phonon escape time is on the order of s esc % 40 ps for NbN films as thin as 3-4 nm. 8

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“…A possible method to extend the GBW up to 6.5 GHz for NbN-based HEB mixers was discussed in Ref. 12, where electron diffusion from the bolometer into the contact pads was observed.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Low noise MgB2 terahertz hot-electron bolometer mixers

Bevilacqua

Cherednichenko

Drakinskiy

et al. 2012

Applied Physics Letters

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“…2) consists of a centre piece of a thin film of a superconductor, usually niobium-nitride (NbN), although niobium-titanium-nitride (NbTiN) has been used as well (Muñoz et al, 2006). In practice (Tretyakov et al, 2011), the devices are made of a 3 to 4 nm thick film shaped to a width W and length L. The aspect ratio is determined by the desired impedance taking the normal state resistance of the superconducting film as a guideline. As illustrated in the figure, the devices consist of 2 more crucial parts.…”

Section: Brief Description Of Standard Devicesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…2 has been developed at Moscow State University of Education (MSUE) (Shcherbatenko et al, 2016;Tretyakov et al, 2011). In general, different choices have been made at different laboratories, mostly based on trial and error, with little conceptual guidance.…”

Section: Brief Description Of Standard Devicesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Engineering Physics of Superconducting Hot-Electron Bolometer Mixers

Klapwijk

Semenov

2017

IEEE Trans. THz Sci. Technol.

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Superconducting hot-electron bolometers are presently the best performing mixing devices for the frequency range beyond 1.2 THz, where good quality superconductor-insulator-superconductor (SIS) devices do not exist. Their physical appearance is very simple: an antenna consisting of a normal metal, sometimes a normal metal-superconductor bilayer, connected to a thin film of a narrow, short superconductor with a high resistivity in the normal state. The device is brought into an optimal operating regime by applying a dc current and a certain amount of localoscillator power. Despite this technological simplicity its operation has found to be controlled by many different aspects of superconductivity, all occurring simultaneously. A core ingredient is the understanding that there are two sources of resistance in a superconductor: a charge conversion resistance occurring at an normal-metal-superconductor interface and a resistance due to timedependent changes of the superconducting phase. The latter is responsible for the actual mixing process in a non-uniform superconducting environment set up by the bias-conditions and the geometry. The present understanding indicates that further improvement needs to be found in the use of other materials with a faster energy-relaxation rate. Meanwhile several empirical parameters have become physically meaningful indicators of the devices, which will facilitate the technological developments.

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“…As a consequence of that the high number (up to 17) harmonics generated by the SSL have quite little power (less than nW), a low noise and high sensitive THz receiver is necessary. We applied the NbN superconductive hot electron bolometer (HEB) operating in the direct-detection mode [4,5].The test measurements of the water and deuterium water vapor spectral absorption lines with the spectrometer were performed at 1456-1495 GHz, 1680-1725 GHz and 1904-1955 GHz frequency bands. One of the absorption line spectra is presented at Fig.…”

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confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

High resolution THz gas spectrometer based on semiconductor and superconductor devices

et al. 2016

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Abstract. The high resolution THz gas spectrometer consists of a synthesizer based on Gunn generator with a semiconductor superlattice frequency multiplier as a radiation source, and an NbN hot electron bolometer in a direct detection mode as a THz radiation receiver was presented. The possibility of application of a quantum cascade laser as a local oscillator for a heterodyne receiver which is based on an NbN hot electron bolometer mixer is shown. The ways for further developing of the THz spectroscopy were outlined.The high resolution THz gas spectroscopy method is of great importance for different analytical applications, because the range contains the strongest rotation gas absorption lines. Practical realization leads to strict requirements for THz radiation sources and receivers. The radiation source must be of high frequency stability (relative instability of 10 -8 -10 -9 ) and widely tunable [1]. The radiation source consists of a frequency synthesizer based on Gunn generator (112-115 GHz) and a semiconductor superlattice (SSL) frequency multiplier. The SSL diode that is used in the frequency multiplier was grown with the molecular beam epitaxy method on GaAs/AlAs materials and is the sequence of 18 periods of alternating layers of GaAs and AlAs [2,3]. As a consequence of that the high number (up to 17) harmonics generated by the SSL have quite little power (less than nW), a low noise and high sensitive THz receiver is necessary. We applied the NbN superconductive hot electron bolometer (HEB) operating in the direct-detection mode [4,5].The test measurements of the water and deuterium water vapor spectral absorption lines with the spectrometer were performed at 1456-1495 GHz, 1680-1725 GHz and 1904-1955 GHz frequency bands. One of the absorption line spectra is presented at Fig. 1.A THz quantum cascade laser (QCL) [6] is prospective source of coherent radiation in the THz range. Phase locking (PLL) is needed for practical implementation of QCL in high resolution spectroscopy. We used 2 THz continuous wave (CW) mode QCL with output power around 1 mW. The carried out testing measurements showed the possibility of QCL phase locking and implementing for elaboration of a THz gas spectrometer. The QCL structure was soldered to copper plate holder, which was attached to a cold plate of a closed cycle cryostat. The QCL was operated at CW mode at the holder temperature about 15 K.The QCL radiation was collimated with external optics and then its radiation power was reflected by abeam splitter (3% reflectance) into a THz transparent optical window of a * Corresponding author: anfertev@ipmras.ru

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Low noise and wide bandwidth of NbN hot-electron bolometer mixers

Cited by 65 publications

References 18 publications

Low noise MgB2 terahertz hot-electron bolometer mixers

Low noise MgB2 terahertz hot-electron bolometer mixers

Engineering Physics of Superconducting Hot-Electron Bolometer Mixers

High resolution THz gas spectrometer based on semiconductor and superconductor devices

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