Cryogenic low-noise amplifiers of low power dissipation for space terahertz astronomy

doi:10.1088/1674-1056/ae0019

Abstract Cryogenic low-noise amplifiers (CLNAs) are of particular interest for applications such as radio astronomy and quantum information science. Here we report on the design and characterization of low-power-dissipation wideband CLNAs for a terahertz spectrometer onboard China's Space Station Telescope (CSST). A simple small-signal and noise model is established based on the DC and RF characteristics of SiGe heterojunction-bipolar-transistors (HBTs) adopted for this development. The developed SiGe HBT CLNAs at 4 K demonstrate an average noise temperature of 4.5 K and a gain of exceeding 35 dB in the frequency range of 0.1 GHz-1.1 GHz. With the power dissipation as low as 3 mW, the average noise temperature is still as low as 6.8 K. The combination of low power dissipation and low noise temperature is rather beneficial to applications in space instruments and complex systems.

Keywords: SiGe heterojunction-bipolar-transistor (HBT) low noise amplifier low power

Received: 02 July 2025
Revised: 13 August 2025
Accepted manuscript online: 28 August 2025

PACS:	85.30.Pq	(Bipolar transistors)
	84.30.Le	(Amplifiers)
	95.55.Jz	(Radio telescopes and instrumentation; heterodyne receivers)

Fund: Project supported in part by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (Grant Nos. 2023YFA1608201 and 2023YFF0722301), the Projects of International Cooperation and Exchanges, the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 12020101002), and the Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. PTYQ2024BJ0010).

Corresponding Authors: Sheng-Cai Shi
E-mail: scshi@pmo.ac.cn

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Jie Liu(刘洁), Dong Liu(刘冬), Kun Zhang(张坤), Ming Yao(姚明), Jun-Da Jin(金骏达), Qi-Jun Yao(姚骑均), Jing Li(李婧), and Sheng-Cai Shi(史生才) Cryogenic low-noise amplifiers of low power dissipation for space terahertz astronomy 2026 Chin. Phys. B 35 048502

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Cryogenic low-noise amplifiers of low power dissipation for space terahertz astronomy

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