Terahertz high-sensitivity SIS mixer based on Nb-AlN-NbN hybrid superconducting tunnel junctions

doi:10.1088/1674-1056/ad2bf7

Abstract The terahertz band, a unique segment of the electromagnetic spectrum, iscrucial for observing the cold, dark universe and plays a pivotal role incutting-edge scientific research, including the study of cosmic environmentsthat support life and imaging black holes. High-sensitivitysuperconductor-insulator-superconductor (SIS) mixers are essential detectorsfor terahertz astronomical telescopes and interferometric arrays. Comparedto the commonly used classical Nb/AlO$_{x}$/Nb superconducting tunneljunction, the Nb/AlN/NbN hybrid superconducting tunnel junction has a higherenergy gap voltage and can achieve a higher critical current density. Thismakes it particularly promising for the development of ultra-wideband,high-sensitivity coherent detectors or mixers in various scientific researchfields. In this paper, we present a superconducting SIS mixer based onNb/AlN/NbN parallel-connected twin junctions (PCTJ), which has a bandwidthextending up to 490 GHz-720 GHz. The best achieved double-sideband (DSB) noisetemperature (sensitivity) is below three times the quantum noise level.

Keywords: SIS mixer terahertz gap voltage critical currentdensity hybrid superconducting tunnel junction

Received: 18 January 2024
Revised: 07 February 2024
Accepted manuscript online:

PACS:	85.25.Pb	(Superconducting infrared, submillimeter and millimeter wave detectors)
	85.25.Am	(Superconducting device characterization, design, and modeling)
	95.55.Jz	(Radio telescopes and instrumentation; heterodyne receivers)

Fund: Project supported in part by the National KeyResearch and Development Program of China (GrantNos. 2023YFA1608201 and 2023YFF0722301) and theNational Natural Science Foundation of China (GrantNos. 11925304, 12020101002, 12333013, 12273119, and12103093). The samples fabrication was supported by grantfrom the Russian Science Foundation (Grant No. 23-79-00019).

Corresponding Authors: Dong Liu,E-mail:dliu@pmo.ac.cn;Sheng-Cai Shi, E-mail:scshi@pmo.ac.cn
E-mail: dliu@pmo.ac.cn;scshi@pmo.ac.cn

Cite this article:

Bo-Liang Liu(刘博梁), Dong Liu(刘冬), MingYao(姚明), Jun-Da Jin(金骏达), Zheng Wang(王争), JingLi(李婧), Sheng-Cai Shi(史生才), Artem Chekushkin, Michael Fominsky, Lyudmila Filippenko, and ValeryKoshelets Terahertz high-sensitivity SIS mixer based on Nb-AlN-NbN hybrid superconducting tunnel junctions 2024 Chin. Phys. B 33 058501

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Terahertz high-sensitivity SIS mixer based on Nb-AlN-NbN hybrid superconducting tunnel junctions

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