Quantum-limited detection of millimeter waves using superconducting tunnel junctions
The quasiparticle tunneling current in a superconductor-insulator-superconductor (SIS) tunnel junction is highly nonlinear. Such a nonlinearity can be used to mix two millimeter wave signals to produce a signal at a much lower intermediate frequency. The author has constructed several millimeter and sub-millimeter wave SIS mixers in order to study high frequency response of the quasiparticle tunneling current and the physics of high frequency mixing. The first measurement has been made of the out-of-phase tunneling currents in an SIS tunnel junction. A method has been developed that allows determination of the parameters of the high frequency embedding circuit by studying the details of the pumped I-V curve. A 80-110 GHz waveguide-based mixer test apparatus has been constructed that allows accurate measurement of the gain and added noise of the SIS mixer under test. Using extremely high quality tunnel junctions, the author has measured an added mixer noise of 0.61 [+-] 0.36 quanta, which is within 25 percent of the quantum limit imposed by the Heisenberg uncertainty principle. This measured performance is in excellent agreement with that predicted by Tucker's theory of quantum mixing. The author has also studied quasioptically coupled millimeter- and submillimeter-wave mixers using several types of integrated tuning elements.
- Research Organization:
- California Univ., Berkeley, CA (United States)
- OSTI ID:
- 7043766
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: Thesis (Ph.D.)
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
INFRARED RADIATION
FREQUENCY MIXING
SUPERCONDUCTING JUNCTIONS
TUNNEL EFFECT
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
JUNCTIONS
RADIATIONS
426000* - Engineering- Components
Electron Devices & Circuits- (1990-)
665412 - Superconducting Devices- (1992-)