Nonthermal optical response of superconductor-insulator-normal metal-insulator-superconductor tunnel structures

Bolometers, which are based on superconductor-insulator-normal metal-insulator-superconductor structures integrated into double slot antennas, are designed and fabricated. The change in the tunneling current in such structures during irradiation at a frequency of 330 GHz is experimentally studied at a temperature of about 0.1 K. It is found that, during irradiation, the energy distribution of electrons has a substantially nonequilibrium form, which differs from the Fermi distribution, and the main contribution to the addition to the tunneling current is made by the electrons that have no time to attain equilibrium within the electron system of the normal metal absorber. The characteristic electron and phonon relaxation times are estimated, and the estimates support the fact that the electron system is strongly nonequilibrium in the radiation field.