High Doping Density Schottky Diodes in the 3MM Wavelength Cryogenic Heterodyne Receiver

The paper describes a 3mm cryogenic mixer receiver using high doping density (“room-temperature”) Schottky diodes. The measured equivalent noise temperature T_eq of the diodes is 109 K at 20 K, which is much higher than the T_eq of the low doping density (“cryogenic”) diodes. In spite of this, the double-sideband (DSB) noise temperature of the cryogenic receiver developed is 55 K at 110 GHz, owing to the low conversion loss of the mixer and ultra-low noise of the PHEMT IF amplifier. This is the lowest noise temperature ever reported for a Schottky diode mixer receiver. The results obtained are useful for the development of submm receivers in which high doping density Schottky diodes are used.