Skip to main content
OSTI.GOVU.S. Department of Energy Office of Scientific and Technical Information
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information
 

Quasiparticle heterodyne mixing in SIS tunnel junctions

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:5776656
; ; ;

The rapid onset of quasiparticle tunneling current in superconductor-insulator-superconductor (Josephson) junctions at voltages above 2 delta/e is being used for millimeter wave heterodyne mixing. Junctions with 2 micron diameter and RN = 50 ohms have little capacitive shunting at the signal frequency of 36 GHz. Because there is no series resistance, residual capacitance can be tuned out. Single sideband conversion efficiencies of 0.18 and mixer noise temperatures as low as TM approximately 14K have been observed. Both results agree with shot noise-limited mixer theory. Photon-assisted tunneling effects are seen which indicate the approach to photon noise-limited operation.

Research Organization:
California Univ., Berkeley (USA). Dept. of Physics
OSTI ID:
5776656
Report Number(s):
AD-A-063503
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

Similar Records

Quasiparticle heterodyne mixing in SIS tunnel junctions
Journal Article · Wed Feb 28 23:00:00 EST 1979 · Appl. Phys. Lett.; (United States) · OSTI ID:6458319
Measurement of gain and noise in SIS quasiparticle mixers
Thesis/Dissertation · Mon Dec 31 23:00:00 EST 1984 · OSTI ID:5137923
Quantum-limited heterodyne detection of millimeter waves using superconducting tantalum tunnel junctions
Journal Article · Sun Dec 02 23:00:00 EST 1990 · Applied Physics Letters; (USA) · OSTI ID:6008562

Related Subjects

420201* -- Engineering-- Cryogenic Equipment & Devices
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
COMMUNICATIONS
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
ELECTRONIC CIRCUITS
FREQUENCY RANGE
GHZ RANGE
GHZ RANGE 01-100
JOSEPHSON JUNCTIONS
MICROWAVE RADIATION
QUASI PARTICLES
RADIATIONS
SUPERCONDUCTING JUNCTIONS
SUPERCONDUCTORS
TUNNEL EFFECT