A lownoise 665 GHz SIS quasi-particle waveguide receiver

J. W. Kooi, C. K. Walker, H. G. LeDuc, P. L. Schaffer, T. R. Hunter, D. J. Benford, T. G. Phillips

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

25 Scopus citations

Abstract

We report recent results on a 565-690 GHz SIS heterodyne receiver employing a 0.36 μm2 Nb/AlOx/Nb SIS tunnel junction with high quality circular non-contacting backshort and E-plane tuners in a full height waveguide mount. No resonant tuning structures have been incorporated in the junction design at this time, even though such structures are expected to help the performance of the receiver. The receiver operates to at least the gap frequency of Niobium, ≈ 680 GHz. Typical receiver noise temperatures from 565-690 GHz range from 160K to 230K with a best value of 185K DSB at 648 GHz. With the mixer cooled from 4.3K to 2K the measured receiver noise temperatures decreased by approximately 15%, giving roughly 180K DSB from 660 to 680 GHz. The receiver has a full 1 GHz IF passband and has been successfully installed at the Caltech Submillimeter Observatory in Hawaii.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)477-492
Number of pages16
JournalInternational Journal of Infrared and Millimeter Waves
Volume15
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 1994

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Radiation
  • Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics
  • Instrumentation
  • Condensed Matter Physics
  • Physics and Astronomy (miscellaneous)
  • Electrical and Electronic Engineering

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