DOI: 10.1063/1.1448865. Heterodyne mixing in diffusion-cooled superconducting aluminum hot-electron bolometers

Heterodyne mixing in diffusion-cooled superconducting aluminum hot-electron bolometers

10.1063/1.1448865

Crossref journal-article

AIP Publishing

Journal of Applied Physics (317)

Abstract

We present microwave (30 GHz) measurements on aluminum superconducting hot-electron bolometer (HEB) mixers. Aluminum HEB mixers have a lower superconducting transition temperature than niobium and niobium nitride devices, and are predicted to have improved sensitivity and require less local oscillator power. The devices studied consist of a narrow superconducting aluminum microbridge with contacts comprised of thick aluminum, titanium, and gold. A perpendicular magnetic field is used to suppress superconductivity in the contacts. The device length is much shorter than the electron–phonon inelastic length [L≪(Dτe–ph)1/2] and thus the intermediate frequency (IF) bandwidth is set by the diffusion time of hot electrons from the microbridge into the contacts. We discuss limitations on the IF bandwidth in very short HEB mixers with fully normal contacts. Overall, the microwave heterodyne mixing results show good performance with a mixer noise temperature inferred from the conversion efficiency and output noise of TM⩾4 K, double side band (DSB). Measurements at 618 GHz yield a conversion efficiency approximately 10 dB lower than observed at 30 GHz. Output saturation by background radiation is postulated to contribute significantly to this difference. A similar decrease in conversion efficiency in the microwave mixing measurements is observed when broadband noise is added to the rf input signal. We discuss the tradeoff between increased sensitivity and the occurrence of saturation effects in low transition temperature HEBs.

Bibliography

Siddiqi, I., Verevkin, A., Prober, D. E., Skalare, A., McGrath, W. R., Echternach, P. M., & LeDuc, H. G. (2002). Heterodyne mixing in diffusion-cooled superconducting aluminum hot-electron bolometers. Journal of Applied Physics, 91(7), 4646â4654.

Authors 7

I. Siddiqi (first)
A. Verevkin (additional)
D. E. Prober (additional)
A. Skalare (additional)
W. R. McGrath (additional)
P. M. Echternach (additional)
H. G. LeDuc (additional)

References 44 Referenced 11

10.1109/5.175250 / Proc. IEEE (1992)
10.1086/312856 / Astrophys. J. Lett. (2000)
10.1175/1520-0469(1999)056<0194:TUAEML>2.0.CO;2 / J. Atmos. Sci. (1999)
10.1109/5.175248 / Proc. IEEE (1992)
10.1109/5.175249 / Proc. IEEE (1992)
10.1086/312843 / Astrophys. J. Lett. (2000)
10.1109/22.841966 / IEEE Trans. Microwave Theory Tech. (2000)
{'key': '2024020708274546400_r8'}
{'key': '2024020708274546400_r9'}
{'key': '2024020708274546400_r10'}
10.1063/1.125522 / Appl. Phys. Lett. (1999)
{'key': '2024020708274546400_r11a'}
{'key': '2024020708274546400_r12'}
10.1109/77.403030 / IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond. (1995)
10.1063/1.119967 / Appl. Phys. Lett. (1997)
10.1364/AO.21.001125 / Appl. Opt. (1982)
{'key': '2024020708274546400_r16', 'first-page': '1582', 'volume': '3', 'year': '1990', 'journal-title': 'Superconductivity'} / Superconductivity (1990)
10.1063/1.109445 / Appl. Phys. Lett. (1993)
10.1063/1.356060 / J. Appl. Phys. (1994)
{'key': '2024020708274546400_r19'}
10.1063/1.1323531 / J. Appl. Phys. (2000)
10.1063/1.369299 / J. Appl. Phys. (1999)
{'key': '2024020708274546400_r22'}
{'key': '2024020708274546400_r23'}
10.1063/1.116555 / Appl. Phys. Lett. (1996)
{'key': '2024020708274546400_r25'}
10.1103/PhysRevB.34.1500 / Phys. Rev. B (1986)
10.1103/PhysRevLett.50.277 / Phys. Rev. Lett. (1983)
10.1103/PhysRevB.29.3733 / Phys. Rev. B (1984)
10.1143/JPSJ.61.3678 / J. Phys. Soc. Jpn. (1992)
10.1016/0038-1098(90)90215-W / Solid State Commun. (1990)
10.1116/1.579425 / J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A (1995)
{'key': '2024020708274546400_r32'}
{'key': '2024020708274546400_r32a'}
{'key': '2024020708274546400_r33'}
{'key': '2024020708274546400_r34'}
{'key': '2024020708274546400_r35', 'first-page': '5', 'volume': '35', 'year': '1979', 'journal-title': 'J. Low Temp. Phys.'} / J. Low Temp. Phys. (1979)
10.1103/PhysRevB.50.3487 / Phys. Rev. B (1994)
10.1109/77.919507 / IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond. (2001)
10.1007/BF00682277 / J. Low Temp. Phys. (1993)
{'key': '2024020708274546400_r39'}
10.1063/1.122603 / Appl. Phys. Lett. (1998)
10.1109/77.919426 / IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond. (2001)
{'key': '2024020708274546400_r42'}

Dates

Type	When
Created	23 years ago (July 26, 2002, 9:27 a.m.)
Deposited	1 year, 6 months ago (Feb. 7, 2024, 9:18 a.m.)
Indexed	4 months, 4 weeks ago (March 24, 2025, 2:31 a.m.)
Issued	23 years, 4 months ago (April 1, 2002)
Published	23 years, 4 months ago (April 1, 2002)
Published Print	23 years, 4 months ago (April 1, 2002)

Funders 0

None

BibTeX

@article{Siddiqi_2002, title={Heterodyne mixing in diffusion-cooled superconducting aluminum hot-electron bolometers}, volume={91}, ISSN={1089-7550}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.1448865}, DOI={10.1063/1.1448865}, number={7}, journal={Journal of Applied Physics}, publisher={AIP Publishing}, author={Siddiqi, I. and Verevkin, A. and Prober, D. E. and Skalare, A. and McGrath, W. R. and Echternach, P. M. and LeDuc, H. G.}, year={2002}, month=apr, pages={4646–4654} }

JSON

{
  "indexed": {
    "date-parts": [
      [
        2025,
        3,
        24
      ]
    ],
    "date-time": "2025-03-24T06:31:59Z",
    "timestamp": 1742797919608
  },
  "reference-count": 44,
  "publisher": "AIP Publishing",
  "issue": "7",
  "content-domain": {
    "domain": [
      "pubs.aip.org"
    ],
    "crossmark-restriction": true
  },
  "published-print": {
    "date-parts": [
      [
        2002,
        4,
        1
      ]
    ]
  },
  "abstract": "<jats:p>We present microwave (30 GHz) measurements on aluminum superconducting hot-electron bolometer (HEB) mixers. Aluminum HEB mixers have a lower superconducting transition temperature than niobium and niobium nitride devices, and are predicted to have improved sensitivity and require less local oscillator power. The devices studied consist of a narrow superconducting aluminum microbridge with contacts comprised of thick aluminum, titanium, and gold. A perpendicular magnetic field is used to suppress superconductivity in the contacts. The device length is much shorter than the electron\u2013phonon inelastic length [L\u226a(D\u03c4e\u2013ph)1/2] and thus the intermediate frequency (IF) bandwidth is set by the diffusion time of hot electrons from the microbridge into the contacts. We discuss limitations on the IF bandwidth in very short HEB mixers with fully normal contacts. Overall, the microwave heterodyne mixing results show good performance with a mixer noise temperature inferred from the conversion efficiency and output noise of TM\u2a7e4 K, double side band (DSB). Measurements at 618 GHz yield a conversion efficiency approximately 10 dB lower than observed at 30 GHz. Output saturation by background radiation is postulated to contribute significantly to this difference. A similar decrease in conversion efficiency in the microwave mixing measurements is observed when broadband noise is added to the rf input signal. We discuss the tradeoff between increased sensitivity and the occurrence of saturation effects in low transition temperature HEBs.</jats:p>",
  "DOI": "10.1063/1.1448865",
  "type": "journal-article",
  "created": {
    "date-parts": [
      [
        2002,
        7,
        26
      ]
    ],
    "date-time": "2002-07-26T13:27:17Z",
    "timestamp": 1027690037000
  },
  "page": "4646-4654",
  "update-policy": "http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/aip-crossmark-policy-page",
  "source": "Crossref",
  "is-referenced-by-count": 11,
  "title": "Heterodyne mixing in diffusion-cooled superconducting aluminum hot-electron bolometers",
  "prefix": "10.1063",
  "volume": "91",
  "author": [
    {
      "given": "I.",
      "family": "Siddiqi",
      "sequence": "first",
      "affiliation": [
        {
          "name": "Department of Applied Physics, Yale University, 15 Prospect Street, New Haven, Connecticut 06520-8284"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "given": "A.",
      "family": "Verevkin",
      "sequence": "additional",
      "affiliation": [
        {
          "name": "Department of Applied Physics, Yale University, 15 Prospect Street, New Haven, Connecticut 06520-8284"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "given": "D. E.",
      "family": "Prober",
      "sequence": "additional",
      "affiliation": [
        {
          "name": "Department of Applied Physics, Yale University, 15 Prospect Street, New Haven, Connecticut 06520-8284"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "given": "A.",
      "family": "Skalare",
      "sequence": "additional",
      "affiliation": [
        {
          "name": "Center for Space Microelectronics Technology, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Caltech, Pasadena, California 91109"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "given": "W. R.",
      "family": "McGrath",
      "sequence": "additional",
      "affiliation": [
        {
          "name": "Center for Space Microelectronics Technology, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Caltech, Pasadena, California 91109"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "given": "P. M.",
      "family": "Echternach",
      "sequence": "additional",
      "affiliation": [
        {
          "name": "Center for Space Microelectronics Technology, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Caltech, Pasadena, California 91109"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "given": "H. G.",
      "family": "LeDuc",
      "sequence": "additional",
      "affiliation": [
        {
          "name": "Center for Space Microelectronics Technology, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Caltech, Pasadena, California 91109"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "member": "317",
  "reference": [
    {
      "key": "2024020708274546400_r1",
      "doi-asserted-by": "crossref",
      "first-page": "1702",
      "DOI": "10.1109/5.175250",
      "volume": "80",
      "year": "1992",
      "journal-title": "Proc. IEEE"
    },
    {
      "key": "2024020708274546400_r2",
      "doi-asserted-by": "crossref",
      "first-page": "L77",
      "DOI": "10.1086/312856",
      "volume": "539",
      "year": "2000",
      "journal-title": "Astrophys. J. Lett."
    },
    {
      "key": "2024020708274546400_r3",
      "doi-asserted-by": "crossref",
      "first-page": "194",
      "DOI": "10.1175/1520-0469(1999)056<0194:TUAEML>2.0.CO;2",
      "volume": "56",
      "year": "1999",
      "journal-title": "J. Atmos. Sci."
    },
    {
      "key": "2024020708274546400_r4",
      "doi-asserted-by": "crossref",
      "first-page": "1662",
      "DOI": "10.1109/5.175248",
      "volume": "80",
      "year": "1992",
      "journal-title": "Proc. IEEE"
    },
    {
      "key": "2024020708274546400_r5",
      "doi-asserted-by": "crossref",
      "first-page": "1679",
      "DOI": "10.1109/5.175249",
      "volume": "80",
      "year": "1992",
      "journal-title": "Proc. IEEE"
    },
    {
      "key": "2024020708274546400_r6",
      "doi-asserted-by": "crossref",
      "first-page": "L129",
      "DOI": "10.1086/312843",
      "volume": "539",
      "year": "2000",
      "journal-title": "Astrophys. J. Lett."
    },
    {
      "key": "2024020708274546400_r7",
      "doi-asserted-by": "crossref",
      "first-page": "733",
      "DOI": "10.1109/22.841966",
      "volume": "48",
      "year": "2000",
      "journal-title": "IEEE Trans. Microwave Theory Tech."
    },
    {
      "key": "2024020708274546400_r8"
    },
    {
      "key": "2024020708274546400_r9"
    },
    {
      "key": "2024020708274546400_r10"
    },
    {
      "key": "2024020708274546400_r11",
      "doi-asserted-by": "crossref",
      "first-page": "4013",
      "DOI": "10.1063/1.125522",
      "volume": "75",
      "year": "1999",
      "journal-title": "Appl. Phys. Lett."
    },
    {
      "key": "2024020708274546400_r11a"
    },
    {
      "key": "2024020708274546400_r12"
    },
    {
      "key": "2024020708274546400_r13",
      "doi-asserted-by": "crossref",
      "first-page": "2236",
      "DOI": "10.1109/77.403030",
      "volume": "5",
      "year": "1995",
      "journal-title": "IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond."
    },
    {
      "key": "2024020708274546400_r14",
      "doi-asserted-by": "crossref",
      "first-page": "1567",
      "DOI": "10.1063/1.119967",
      "volume": "71",
      "year": "1997",
      "journal-title": "Appl. Phys. Lett."
    },
    {
      "key": "2024020708274546400_r15",
      "doi-asserted-by": "crossref",
      "first-page": "1125",
      "DOI": "10.1364/AO.21.001125",
      "volume": "21",
      "year": "1982",
      "journal-title": "Appl. Opt."
    },
    {
      "key": "2024020708274546400_r16",
      "first-page": "1582",
      "volume": "3",
      "year": "1990",
      "journal-title": "Superconductivity"
    },
    {
      "key": "2024020708274546400_r17",
      "doi-asserted-by": "crossref",
      "first-page": "2119",
      "DOI": "10.1063/1.109445",
      "volume": "62",
      "year": "1993",
      "journal-title": "Appl. Phys. Lett."
    },
    {
      "key": "2024020708274546400_r18",
      "doi-asserted-by": "crossref",
      "first-page": "3695",
      "DOI": "10.1063/1.356060",
      "volume": "75",
      "year": "1994",
      "journal-title": "J. Appl. Phys."
    },
    {
      "key": "2024020708274546400_r19"
    },
    {
      "key": "2024020708274546400_r20",
      "doi-asserted-by": "crossref",
      "first-page": "6758",
      "DOI": "10.1063/1.1323531",
      "volume": "88",
      "year": "2000",
      "journal-title": "J. Appl. Phys."
    },
    {
      "key": "2024020708274546400_r21",
      "doi-asserted-by": "crossref",
      "first-page": "1644",
      "DOI": "10.1063/1.369299",
      "volume": "85",
      "year": "1999",
      "journal-title": "J. Appl. Phys."
    },
    {
      "key": "2024020708274546400_r22"
    },
    {
      "key": "2024020708274546400_r23"
    },
    {
      "key": "2024020708274546400_r24",
      "doi-asserted-by": "crossref",
      "first-page": "853",
      "DOI": "10.1063/1.116555",
      "volume": "68",
      "year": "1996",
      "journal-title": "Appl. Phys. Lett."
    },
    {
      "key": "2024020708274546400_r25"
    },
    {
      "key": "2024020708274546400_r26",
      "doi-asserted-by": "crossref",
      "first-page": "1500",
      "DOI": "10.1103/PhysRevB.34.1500",
      "volume": "34",
      "year": "1986",
      "journal-title": "Phys. Rev. B"
    },
    {
      "key": "2024020708274546400_r27",
      "doi-asserted-by": "crossref",
      "first-page": "277",
      "DOI": "10.1103/PhysRevLett.50.277",
      "volume": "50",
      "year": "1983",
      "journal-title": "Phys. Rev. Lett."
    },
    {
      "key": "2024020708274546400_r28",
      "doi-asserted-by": "crossref",
      "first-page": "3733",
      "DOI": "10.1103/PhysRevB.29.3733",
      "volume": "29",
      "year": "1984",
      "journal-title": "Phys. Rev. B"
    },
    {
      "key": "2024020708274546400_r29",
      "doi-asserted-by": "crossref",
      "first-page": "3678",
      "DOI": "10.1143/JPSJ.61.3678",
      "volume": "61",
      "year": "1992",
      "journal-title": "J. Phys. Soc. Jpn."
    },
    {
      "key": "2024020708274546400_r30",
      "doi-asserted-by": "crossref",
      "first-page": "639",
      "DOI": "10.1016/0038-1098(90)90215-W",
      "volume": "75",
      "year": "1990",
      "journal-title": "Solid State Commun."
    },
    {
      "key": "2024020708274546400_r31",
      "doi-asserted-by": "crossref",
      "first-page": "127",
      "DOI": "10.1116/1.579425",
      "volume": "13",
      "year": "1995",
      "journal-title": "J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A"
    },
    {
      "key": "2024020708274546400_r32"
    },
    {
      "key": "2024020708274546400_r32a"
    },
    {
      "key": "2024020708274546400_r33"
    },
    {
      "key": "2024020708274546400_r34"
    },
    {
      "key": "2024020708274546400_r35",
      "first-page": "5",
      "volume": "35",
      "year": "1979",
      "journal-title": "J. Low Temp. Phys."
    },
    {
      "key": "2024020708274546400_r36",
      "doi-asserted-by": "crossref",
      "first-page": "3487",
      "DOI": "10.1103/PhysRevB.50.3487",
      "volume": "50",
      "year": "1994",
      "journal-title": "Phys. Rev. B"
    },
    {
      "key": "2024020708274546400_r37",
      "doi-asserted-by": "crossref",
      "first-page": "958",
      "DOI": "10.1109/77.919507",
      "volume": "11",
      "year": "2001",
      "journal-title": "IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond."
    },
    {
      "key": "2024020708274546400_r38",
      "doi-asserted-by": "crossref",
      "first-page": "1",
      "DOI": "10.1007/BF00682277",
      "volume": "93",
      "year": "1993",
      "journal-title": "J. Low Temp. Phys."
    },
    {
      "key": "2024020708274546400_r39"
    },
    {
      "key": "2024020708274546400_r40",
      "doi-asserted-by": "crossref",
      "first-page": "2826",
      "DOI": "10.1063/1.122603",
      "volume": "73",
      "year": "1998",
      "journal-title": "Appl. Phys. Lett."
    },
    {
      "key": "2024020708274546400_r41",
      "doi-asserted-by": "crossref",
      "first-page": "641",
      "DOI": "10.1109/77.919426",
      "volume": "11",
      "year": "2001",
      "journal-title": "IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond."
    },
    {
      "key": "2024020708274546400_r42"
    }
  ],
  "container-title": "Journal of Applied Physics",
  "original-title": [],
  "language": "en",
  "link": [
    {
      "URL": "https://pubs.aip.org/aip/jap/article-pdf/91/7/4646/19296664/4646_1_online.pdf",
      "content-type": "application/pdf",
      "content-version": "vor",
      "intended-application": "syndication"
    },
    {
      "URL": "https://pubs.aip.org/aip/jap/article-pdf/91/7/4646/19296664/4646_1_online.pdf",
      "content-type": "unspecified",
      "content-version": "vor",
      "intended-application": "similarity-checking"
    }
  ],
  "deposited": {
    "date-parts": [
      [
        2024,
        2,
        7
      ]
    ],
    "date-time": "2024-02-07T14:18:04Z",
    "timestamp": 1707315484000
  },
  "score": 1,
  "resource": {
    "primary": {
      "URL": "https://pubs.aip.org/jap/article/91/7/4646/756513/Heterodyne-mixing-in-diffusion-cooled"
    }
  },
  "subtitle": [],
  "short-title": [],
  "issued": {
    "date-parts": [
      [
        2002,
        4,
        1
      ]
    ]
  },
  "references-count": 44,
  "journal-issue": {
    "issue": "7",
    "published-print": {
      "date-parts": [
        [
          2002,
          4,
          1
        ]
      ]
    }
  },
  "URL": "http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.1448865",
  "relation": {},
  "ISSN": [
    "0021-8979",
    "1089-7550"
  ],
  "subject": [],
  "published-other": {
    "date-parts": [
      [
        2002,
        4,
        1
      ]
    ]
  },
  "published": {
    "date-parts": [
      [
        2002,
        4,
        1
      ]
    ]
  }
}