A 100 GHz Josephson mixer using resistively-shunted Nb tunnel junctions

Author

Schoelkopf, R.J. ; Phillips, T.G. ; Zmuidzinas, J.

Author_Institution

Downs Lab. of Phys., California Inst. of Technol., Pasadena, CA, USA

Volume

3

Issue

1

fYear

1993

fDate

3/1/1993 12:00:00 AM

Firstpage

2250

Lastpage

2253

Abstract

The authors describe preliminary mixer results using resistively shunted Nb/AlO/sub x//Nb tunnel junctions in a 100-GHz waveguide mixer mount. The mixer utilizes robust, lithographically defined devices which have nonhysteretic I-V curves. A receiver temperature of 390 K (D5B) has been obtained with a conversion loss of -6.5 dB. The receiver´s behavior agrees qualitatively with the behavior predicted by the resistively shunted junction model. Substantial improvements in performance are expected with the use of better-optimized shunted junctions and numerical simulations suggest that, if devices with higher I/sub C/R/sub N/ (critical-current normal-resistance) products can be obtained. Josephson effect mixers could be competitive with superconductor-insulator-superconductor (SIS) mixers at high frequencies.<>

Keywords

Josephson effect; critical currents; microwave detectors; mixers (circuits); niobium; receivers; superconducting junction devices; superconducting microwave devices; type II superconductors; -6.5 dB; 100 GHz; 390 K; Josephson mixer; Nb tunnel junctions; Nb-AlO/sub 2/-Nb; conversion loss; critical current-resistance product; heterodyne response; lithographically defined devices; receiver temperature; resistively shunted junction model; resistively-shunted; waveguide mixer mount; Frequency; Josephson effect; Josephson junctions; Niobium; Numerical simulation; Predictive models; Robustness; Superconducting devices; Temperature; Waveguide junctions;

fLanguage

English

Journal_Title

Applied Superconductivity, IEEE Transactions on

Publisher

ieee

ISSN

1051-8223

Type

jour

DOI

10.1109/77.233556

Filename

233556