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Nanostructured Ultrathin NbN Film as a Terahertz Hot-Electron Bolometer Mixer

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 February 2011

Grigory Gol'tsman ,
Sergey Maslennikov ,
Matvey Finkel ,
Sergey Antipov ,
Natalia Kaurova ,
Elisaveta Grishina ,
Stanislav Polyakov ,
Yury Vachtomin ,
Sergey Svechnikov  and
Konstantin Smirnov
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Grigory Gol'tsman
Affiliation:
goltsman@mspu-phys.ru, Moscow State Pedagogical University (MSPU), Departmen of Physics, 29 Malaya Pirogovskaya str., Moscow, Central Russia, 119992, Russian Federation, +7(495)2466321, +7(495)2466321
Sergey Maslennikov
Affiliation:
snm@rplab.ru, Moscow State Pedagogical University (MSPU), Departmen of Physics, 29 Malaya Pirogovskaya str., Moscow, Central Russia, 119992, Russian Federation
Matvey Finkel
Affiliation:
matveyf@rplab.ru, Moscow State Pedagogical University (MSPU), Departmen of Physics, 29 Malaya Pirogovskaya str., Moscow, Central Russia, 119992, Russian Federation
Sergey Antipov
Affiliation:
s_antipov@rplab.ru, Moscow State Pedagogical University (MSPU), Departmen of Physics, 29 Malaya Pirogovskaya str., Moscow, Central Russia, 119992, Russian Federation
Natalia Kaurova
Affiliation:
nkaurova@mail.ru, Moscow State Pedagogical University (MSPU), Departmen of Physics, 29 Malaya Pirogovskaya str., Moscow, Central Russia, 119992, Russian Federation
Elisaveta Grishina
Affiliation:
goltsman@mspu-phys.ru, Moscow State Pedagogical University (MSPU), Departmen of Physics , 29 Malaya Pirogovskaya str., Moscow, Central Russia, 119992, Russian Federation
Stanislav Polyakov
Affiliation:
stas@rplab.ru, Moscow State Pedagogical University (MSPU), Departmen of Physics, 29 Malaya Pirogovskaya str., Moscow, Central Russia, 119992, Russian Federation
Yury Vachtomin
Affiliation:
vachtomin@rplab.ru, Moscow State Pedagogical University (MSPU), Departmen of Physics, 29 Malaya Pirogovskaya str., Moscow, Central Russia, 119992, Russian Federation
Sergey Svechnikov
Affiliation:
sis@rplab.ru, Moscow State Pedagogical University (MSPU), Departmen of Physics, 29 Malaya Pirogovskaya str., Moscow, Central Russia, 119992, Russian Federation
Konstantin Smirnov
Affiliation:
skv@rplab.ru, Moscow State Pedagogical University (MSPU), Departmen of Physics, 29 Malaya Pirogovskaya str., Moscow, Central Russia, 119992, Russian Federation
Boris Voronov
Affiliation:
bmvoronov@mail.ru, Moscow State Pedagogical University (MSPU), Departmen of Physics, 29 Malaya Pirogovskaya str., Moscow, Central Russia, 119992, Russian Federation
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Abstract

Planar spiral antenna coupled and directly lens coupled NbN HEB mixer structures are studied. An additional MgO buffer layer between the superconducting film and Si substrate is introduced. The buffer layer enables us to increase the gain bandwidth of a HEB mixer due to better acoustic transparency. The gain bandwidth is widened as NbN film thickness decreases and amounts to 5.2 GHz. The noise temperature of antenna coupled mixer is 1300 and 3100 K at 2.5 and 3.8 THz respectively. The structure and composition of NbN films is investigated by X-ray diffraction spectroscopy methods. Noise performance degradation at LO frequencies more than 3 THz is due to the use of a planar antenna and signal loss in contacts between the antenna and the sensitive NbN bridge. The mixer is reconfigured for operation at higher frequencies in a manner that receiver's noise temperature is only 2300 K (3 times of quantum limit) at LO frequency of 30 THz.

Keywords

superconductingnanostructureelectron-phonon interactions
Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 935: Symposium K – Materials Research for THz Applications , 2006 , 0935-K02-10
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2006

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References

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