Fabrication of sub-micron Nb/Al-oxide/Nb sis junctions

I describe a process for fabricating high critical current density, submicron superconductor/insulator/superconductor (SIS) tunnel junctions, suitable for use as millimeter-wave or submillimeter-wave mixers. The superconducting electrodes are niobium; the insulating barrier is aluminum oxide. Standard optical photolithography is employed, with subsequent shrinkback of the photoresist mesa defining the device through reactive-ion etching in an oxygen plasma to enhance step-coverage by the insulating layer. Active areas as small as 0.5µm² have been made. I discuss two variations of the process, one starting from a small initial trilayer region defined by liftoff, and the other starting from a whole-wafer initial trilayer.     

Cryogenic operation of submillimeter quasioptical mixers

We report here the first results obtained by cooling a submillimeter quasioptical mixer, utilizing a Schottky diode in a corner reflector mixer structure. Measurements have been carried out at a wavelength of 434 microns. The diode inverse slope parameter V_o at low current decreases by a factor of 3 upon cooling to 50 K while the minimum system noise temperature of 5600 K (SSB), including the IF contribution, demonstrates a reduction of approximately 40% from the ambient temperature value. We also report improved system noise temperatures at 184 m and 119 m wavelengths of 38000 K and 64000 K (SSB), respectively.This work was supported by the Army Research Office and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research     

An SIS waveguide heterodyne receiver for 600 HGz-635 GHz

A waveguide SIS heterodyne receiver using a Nb/AlO_X/Nb junction has been built for astronomical observations of molecular transitions in the frequency range 600 GHz - 635 GHz, and has been successfully used at the Caltech Submillimeter Observatory (CSO). We report double sideband (DSB) receiver noise temperatures as low as 245 K at 600 GHz -610 GHz, and near 300 K over the rest of the bandwidth. These results confirm that SIS quasiparticle mixers work well at submillimeter-wave frequencies corresponding to photon energies of at least 90% of the superconductor energy gap. In addition, we have systematically investigated the effect on the receiver performance of the overlap between first-order and second-order photon steps of opposite sign at these frequencies. The receiver noise increases by as much as 40% in the region of overlap. We infer potential limitations for operating submillimeter-wave Nb/AlO_x/Nb mixers.     

A Novel LO Power Injection Method for SIS Mixers

We propose a novel LO power injection method developed for SIS mixers in this paper. Based on the feature of extremely small LO power requirements of SIS quantum mixing, the new method fulfills SIS pumping through a DC/IF route based built-in LO path, which is composed of an additional LO waveguide and the existing microstrip choke filter on the junction substrate. With the new method, traditional external LO diplexers(e.g., crossguide-couplers or beamsplitters) become unnecessary, resulting in a lower loss, compact, and stable receiver system. Experiments at 110- and 230 GHz bands have shown that the present method is efficient in coupling sufficient pumping power to SIS junctions from general LO sources, and the receiver sensitivities have a further improvement of about 10 K. We expect this method is also able to be applied into submillimeter wave band for SIS mixers.     

Low noise submillimeter SIS receiver with niobium nitride quasiparticle tunnel junctions

We have developed and tested a submillimeter waveguide SIS mixer with NbN-MgO-NbN quasiparticle tunnel junctions. The two junction array is integrated in a full NbN printed circuit. The NbN film critical temperature is 15 K and the junction gap voltage is 5 mV. The size of the junctions is 1.4 × 1.4 µm and Josephson critical current density is about 1.5 KA/cm² resulting in junction R_NC product about 40. The inductive tuning circuit in NbN is integrated with each junction in two junction array. A single non contacting backshort was tuned at each frequency in the mixer block.At 306 GHz the minimum DSB receiver noise temperature is as low as 230 K. The sources of the receiver noise and of the limits of the NbN SIS submillimeter mixer improvement are discussed.     

A low-noise SIS receiver measured from 480 GHz to 650 GHz using Nb junctions with integrated RF tuning circuits

A heterodyne receiver using an SIS waveguide mixer with two mechanical tuners has been characterized from 480 GHz to 650 GHz. The mixer uses either a single 0.5 × 0.5 µm² Nb/AlO_x/Nb SIS tunnel junction or a series array of two 1 µm² Nb tunnel junctions. These junctions have a high current density, in the range 8 – 13 kA/cm². Superconductive RF circuits are employed to tune the junction capacitance. DSB receiver noise temperatures as low as 200 ± 17 K at 540 GHz, 271 K ± 22 K at 572 GHz and 362 ± 33 K at 626 GHz have been obtained with the single SIS junctions. The series arrays gave DSB receiver noise temperatures as low as 328 ± 26 K at 490 GHz and 336 ± 25 K at 545 GHz. A comparison of the performances of series arrays and single junctions is presented. In addition, negative differential resistance has been observed in the DC I–V curve near 490, 545 and 570 GHz. Correlations between the frequencies for minimum noise temperature, negative differential resistance, and tuning circuit resonances are found. A detailed model to calculate the properties of the tuning circuits is discussed, and the junction capacitance as well as the London penetration depth of niobium are determined by fitting the model to the measured circuit resonances.     

A 691 GHz sis receiver for radio astronomy

We report the development of a low noise heterodyne receiver optimized for astronomical observations in the 650 GHz atmospheric window, and specifically for the CO(J=65) line at 691.5 GHz. The system is based on an open structure SIS heterodyne mixer pumped by a continuously tunable solid state oscillator. A niobium SIS junction double array is placed at the end of an integrated V-Antenna. For broad band impedance matching a combination of microstrip impedance transformer and radial stub was used. Receiver noise temperatures of 550 K DSB at 684 GHz were achieved at a 1.8 K physical temperature. The performance improved substantially when decreasing the temperature from 4.2 to 1.8 K. Comparison of model calculations and Fourier transform direct detection measurements of the tuning structure implies that this effect is likely due to the coincidence of operational frequency and the gap frequency of the niobium.     

Simple FTS Measurement System for Submillimeter SIS Mixer

We have constructed a simple Fourier Transform Spectroscopy system, and carried out performance measurement of our 640-GHz band SIS mixer devices. This system uses the identical quasi-optics to the one for heterodyne measurement, which allows a direct and quick comparison between FTS and heterodyne responses. With a room-temperature absorber for submillimeter source, instead of a high-temperature source such as Hg lamp, we successfully obtained interferogram with good signal-to-noise ratios. The frequency resolution is moderately coarse ( 17 GHz( due to a limitation on the travel length of scanning mirror for the interferometer, but we found it is useful to investigate broad-band characteristics of SIS mixers.     

Analysis of SIS heterojunctions for use as mm-wave mixers exhibiting coversion gain

We apply the quantum formulation of heterodyne mixer theory to SIS heterojunctions (junctions between dissimilar superconductors). Conversion gain is predicted over a wide range of mm-wave frequencies in the 3-port Y-mixer model by exploiting the naturally occurring region of negative conductance in the DC I-V characteristic. In the signal frequency range 50–250 GHz this region persists in the pumpedjunction I–V characteristic for local oscillator power <1 nW and leads to a negative conductance at the mixer's IF port.     

Amplitude modulation of submillimeter wave gyrotron output

Amplitude modulation of gyrotron by a small modulation of the anode voltage is calculated using an energy transfer formula. Experimental measurements using a submillimeter wave gyrotron are in good agreement. One hundred percent modulation of the output at frequencies up to several hundred kilohertz has been achieved with anode modulation levels of only a few percent. Numerical calculations lend further support to the experimental results.     

Characterization of the IF Noise of a Submillimeter SIS Receiver

A fitting method is presented here for the accurate characterization of the IF noise contribution of a sub-millimeter SIS receiver. By fitting the mixer's IF output power response and junction's IV curve of an SIS mixer without LO pumping, we can obtain the IF noise contribution, the physical temperature of the isolator connected just behind the SIS mixer, the output mismatching of the mixer, and the total gain of the IF chain. Differing from a conventional method, which only uses the normal-state (linear) branch of the junction's IV curve, the method proposed here also includes the nonlinear portion around the gap voltage. The dynamic resistance in this portion is varied dramatically, providing us a good probe to characterize the output mismatching of the mixer, as well as other parameters.     

A 40 GHz band SIS receiver using Nb/Al?AlOx/Nb array junctions

A 40 GHz band SIS mixer receiver has been built using Nb/Al–AlOx/Nb array junctions and a 4.3 K closed cycle helium refrigerator. The minimum conversion loss of the mixer is 2±1 dB and the single sideband receiver noise temperature (T_RX (SSB)) is as low as 110±10 K at 36 GHz. T_RX (SSB) is almost constant in the IF bandwidth of 600 MHz. The mixer saturation level is as high as 15 nW, which is comparable to the injected LO power.Nobeyama Radio Observatory (NRO), a branch of the Tokyo Astronomical Observatory, University of Tokyo, is a cosmic radio observing facility open for outside users.     

A Low-Noise 230 GHz SIS Receiver for Radio Astronomy Employing Untuned Nb/AlOx/Nb Tunnel Junctions

A heterodyne receiver based on a 1/3 reduced height rectangular waveguide SIS mixer with two mechanical tuners has been built for astronomical observations of molecular transitions in the 230 GHz frequency band. The mixer used an untuned array (R_nC_j3, R_n70 ) of four Nb/AIOx/Nb tunnel junctions in series as a nonlinear mixing element. A reasonable balance between the input and output coupling efficiencies has been obtained by choosing the junction number N=4. The receiver exhibits DSB (Double Side Band) noise temperature around 50 K over a frequency range of more than 10 GHz centered at 230 GHz. The lowest system noise temperature of 38 K has been recorded at 232.5 GHz. Mainly by adjusting the subwaveguide backshort, the SSB (Single Side Band) operation with image rejection of 15 dB is obtained with the noise temperature as low as 50 K. In addition, the noise contribution from each receiver component has been studied further. The minimum SIS mixer noise temperature is estimated as 15 K, pretty close to the quantum limit v/k11 K at 230 GHz. It is believed that the receiver noise temperatures presented are the lowest yet reported for a 230 GHz receiver using untuned junctions.     

A novel noncontacting waveguide backshort for submillimeter wave frequencies

A novel noncontacting waveguide backshort has been developed for millimeter wave and submillimeter wave frequencies. It employs a metallic bar with rectangular or circular holes. The size and spacing of the holes are adjusted to provide a periodic variation of the guide impedance on the correct length scale to give a large reflection of rf power. This design is mechanically rugged and can be readily fabricated for high submillimeter wave frequencies where conventional backshorts are difficult or impossible to fabricate. Model experiments have been performed at 4 GHz – 6 GHz to empirically optimize the design parameters. Values of reflected power greater than 95% over a 30% bandwidth have been achieved. A specific design is presented which has also been successfully scaled to WR-10 band (75 GHz – 110 GHz). A theoretical analysis is compared to the experiments and found to agree well with the measured data.     

Frequency measurement of a submillimeter wave gyrotron output

Measurement of frequency spectra of the output of a gyrotron in the millimeter to submillimeter wavelength range using a Michelson interferometer have been made. The results are compared with frequency measurements using a Fabry-Perot interferometer. A correction for mesh transmittance is used to give the true frequency spectrum. The method is used to search for the presence of higher cyclotron harmonics (n=f /f _c=3,4,…) which may be generated along with the more intense fundamentals (n=1) or second harmonics (n=2), and to study mode competition between the fundamental and the second harmonic modes.     

亚毫米波大功率脉冲探测器的初步研制

初步研制了一种用于300~400 GHz频段的亚毫米波大功率脉冲探测器。基于强电场下的热电子效应,将n型硅探测芯片置入波导WR10的宽边,构成了探测器的过模探测模块。采用光刻和电镀工艺完成了探测芯片的加工,实现了很好的欧姆接触和尺寸精度。对集成的探测器样机进行了亚毫米波大功率脉冲测试和电压驻波比测量。结果表明：探测器样机的响应时间快达ps量级,相对灵敏度约为0.46 kW-1,电压驻波比小于2.4,最大承受功率不小于数十W,与模拟结果符合得较好,满足亚毫米波大功率脉冲的直接探测需求。     

Development and applications of frequency tunable, submillimeter wave gyrotrons

The development of single-frequency, high-power gyrotrons for the fusion community has always had a high profile. However, tunable, low-power gyrotrons are well suited as sources for plasma diagnostics and the spectroscopic study of materials. This paper reviews the work at the University of Sydney in Australia and Fukui University in Japan.     

A transmission line for plasma scattering measurements with a submillimeter wave gyrotron

A transmission system has been designed to produce a high intensity (100 W) and high quality (well-collimated and high purity) beam in the submillimeter wave range (f=354 GHz). Calculations using the Huygens equation for scalar diffraction show that this system can produce a high quality beam. The final goal is to apply it to scattering measurements of density fluctuations driven by instability and wave propagation during ion cyclotron resonance heating in the Compact Helical System (CHS) in the National Institute for Fusion Science at Nagoya. It will provide a high S/N ratio and high spatial and wave number resolution.     

Characteristics of InSb mixers and backward wave oscillators in a submm heterodyne receiver

In this paper some aspects of two of the most important components of a previously described submm heterodyne are discussed: the InSb mexer and the backward wave oscillator. The (known) properties of the InSb mixer and our method of fabrication will be briefly discussed. The aspect of matching this mixer to the waveguide is treated more extensively both in theory and practice. Finally the performance of InSb as a mixer at higher frequencies is briefly considered. Some properties of the backward wave oscillator which are of special relevance when using it in combination with an InSb mixer, have been measured and they are discussed in the last section.     

Method for radar cross section measurements in millimeter and submillimeter wave regions

We present a new method for electromagnetic modeling radar scattering processes. In this method we use a quasi-optical waveguide of the type of "hollow dielectric waveguide" as a fundamental component of radar cross section (RCS) instrumentation systems. Such waveguide structure produces required target-illuminating quasiplane wave and suppresses unwanted waves as well as transmits the legitimate signal from test object, mounted inside this waveguide, to the reception zone. Presented method is especially effective one in millimeter and submillimeter wave regions, in particular, for investigation RCS of targets with small reflectivity.