Title :
A 530-GHz balanced mixer
Author :
Chattopadhyay, Goutam ; Rice, Frank ; Miller, David ; LeDuc, Henry G. ; Zmuidzinas, Jonas
Author_Institution :
Dept. of Electr. Eng., California Inst. of Technol., Pasadena, CA, USA
fDate :
11/1/1999 12:00:00 AM
Abstract :
We report on the design and performance of a 530-GHz balanced SIS mixer, the first balanced mixer in this frequency range. This quasi-optical balanced mixer utilizes a cross-slot antenna on a hyperhemispherical substrate lens with eight superconductor-insulator-superconductor (SIS) junctions and a 180° lumped element IF hybrid circuit. The local oscillator (LO) and the radio frequency (RF) signal, orthogonal in polarization to each other, are coupled to the mixer using a wire-grid polarizer. The noise performance of the mixer is excellent, giving an uncorrected receiver noise temperature of 105 K (DSB) at 528 GHz
Keywords :
slot antennas; submillimetre wave antennas; submillimetre wave integrated circuits; submillimetre wave mixers; superconducting device noise; superconducting integrated circuits; superconducting microwave devices; superconductor-insulator-superconductor mixers; 528 to 530 GHz; SIS junctions; THF; balanced SIS mixer; cross-slot antenna; hyperhemispherical substrate lens; lumped element IF hybrid circuit; noise performance; quasi-optical balanced mixer; superconductor-insulator-superconductor junctions; wire-grid polarizer; Circuit noise; Hybrid junctions; Josephson junctions; Lenses; Local oscillators; Polarization; Radio frequency; Superconducting device noise; Superconducting devices; Superconducting filaments and wires;
Journal_Title :
Microwave and Guided Wave Letters, IEEE
