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Quasi-optical slot antenna SIS mixers

Zmuidzinas, Jonas and LeDuc, H. G. (1992) Quasi-optical slot antenna SIS mixers. IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques, 40 (9). pp. 1191-1198. ISSN 0018-9480. doi:10.1109/22.156607. https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechAUTHORS:ZMUieeetmtt92

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Abstract

A quasi-optical SIS mixer designed for efficient radiation coupling is described. The mixer uses a twin-slot antenna which has the advantages of a good beam pattern and a low impedance. The radiation and impedance characteristics of the antenna were obtained from a moment-matched calculation. Tapered superconducting microstrip transmission lines are used to carry the radiation from the slot antennas to the tunnel junction. The effective impedance seen by the tunnel junction is quite low, about 4 Ω, which allows micron-size junctions to be used at 500 GHz. The mixers have been fabricated using Nb/Al-oxide/Nb tunnel junctions and a receiver noise temperature of 420 K (DSB) was measured at 490 GHz, which is the best yet obtained for a quasi-optical mixer at this frequency. The comparatively large junction area increases the mixer saturation power and allows strong suppression of noise from the Josephson effect by the application of a magnetic field of modest strength.


Item Type:Article
Related URLs:
URLURL TypeDescription
https://doi.org/10.1109/22.156607DOIUNSPECIFIED
Additional Information:© Copyright 1992 IEEE. Reprinted with permission. Manuscript received October 1, 1991; revised January 29, 1992. This work was supported in part by NASA grant NAGW-107, NASA/JPL, an NSF Presidential Young Investigator grant to J. Zmuidzinas, and NSF grant DPP88-18384 (to University of Illinois). We wish to thank T. Büttgenbach and J. Stern for helpful discussions, J. Carlstrom for assistance with the measurements, and R. Pöpel for communicating the results of his nonlocal calculations of the surface impedance of Nb. J.Z. is indebted to K.Y. Lo and T.G. Phillips for advice and encouragement, and to F. Sharifi and D. Van Harlingen for his introduction to superconducting device fabrication.
Subject Keywords:Josephson effect; aluminum compounds; antenna radiation patterns; electric impedance; electron device noise; microstrip antennas; microwave integrated circuits; mixers (circuits); niobium; strip line components; submillimeter wave devices; superconducting junction devices
Issue or Number:9
DOI:10.1109/22.156607
Record Number:CaltechAUTHORS:ZMUieeetmtt92
Persistent URL:https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechAUTHORS:ZMUieeetmtt92
Usage Policy:No commercial reproduction, distribution, display or performance rights in this work are provided.
ID Code:10409
Collection:CaltechAUTHORS
Deposited By: Archive Administrator
Deposited On:02 May 2008
Last Modified:08 Nov 2021 21:07

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