SIS Mixers as a Noise Detector for Optimization of Photonic Local Oscillators in Terahertz Range

• Published in: IEEE transactions on applied superconductivity Vol. 19; no. 3; pp. 389 - 394
• Main Authors: Kohjiro, S., Kikuchi, K., Maezawa, M., Furuta, T., Wakatsuki, A., Shimizu, N., Nagatsuma, T., Kado, Y., Ito, H., Shoji, A.
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY IEEE 01.06.2009; Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers; The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE)
• Subjects: Acoustical engineering; Applied sciences; Circuit properties; Compound structure devices; Detectors; Electric, optical and optoelectronic circuits; Electrical engineering. Electrical power engineering; Electromagnets; Electronic circuits; Electronics; Exact sciences and technology; Heterodyne receiver; Integrated optics. Optical fibers and wave guides; Local oscillators; Mixers; Noise; Noise temperature; Optical and optoelectronic circuits; Optical filters; Optical noise; Optical receivers; Optimization; Oscillators; Oscillators, resonators, synthetizers; photonic local oscillator; Photonics; Schottky barriers; Schottky diodes; Semiconductor electronics. Microelectronics. Optoelectronics. Solid state devices; sideband noise; SIS mixer; Superconducting device noise; Superconducting devices; Superconductivity; terahertz; Various equipment and components; Integrated optics; Insulator; SIS structure; Heterodyne receiver; Optimization method; Submillimeter wave oscillators; Optimization; Superconducting materials; sideband noise; Optoelectronic device; Optical receiver; photonic local oscillator; Dielectric materials; Measurement sensor; Heterodyne receivers; Mixers (circuits); Photodiode; Experimental study; Operating conditions; SIS mixer; Local oscillator; THz range; Optical filter; terahertz; Acoustic radiation; Optical amplifier; Noise temperature; Schottky barrier diode; Sideband
• ISSN: 1051-8223; 1558-2515
• DOI: 10.1109/TASC.2009.2017949

We have demonstrated that a superconductor-insulator-superconductor (SIS) mixer is applicable for a power detector to evaluate the sideband noise radiated from a submillimeter-wave local oscillator (LO) under development. A simple analysis shows SIS mixers provide better resolution of LO noise than Schottky barrier diode mixers when the available LO power is less than ~ 0.4 mW. Systematic measurement of dependence of receiver noise temperature T RX on components and operational conditions of a photonic LO (Ph-LO) is carried out, which provides a guide to their optimization, e.g., source-laser power, photodiode drive current, use of an optical filter, and selection of an optical amplifier. Noise temperature of the Ph-LO estimated from experimental results ranges from ~ 1 times 10 3 K to ~ 5 times 10 4 K as a function of operational conditions and parameters.