Characterization of picosecond-scale response time of superconducting NbN hot electron bolometric mixers

doi:10.1088/1674-1056/ae067a

Abstract A superconducting hot electron bolometer (HEB) mixer is an ultra-sensitive detector widely used for heterodyne detection of electromagnetic radiation, particularly at terahertz (THz) and submillimeter wavelengths. The response time of an HEB mixer is a critical parameter that defines its dynamic properties. In this work, we employ a pump-probe optical technique to investigate how the response time varies with temperature and bias voltage. Our measurements, conducted at 7 K under bias voltages of 1 mV and 2 mV, reveal a response time of approximately 40 ps. The pump-probe method was introduced to measure the HEB response time for the first time, overcoming conventional electronic bandwidth limitations and achieving picosecond-scale temporal resolution to characterize its ultrafast dynamics in the time domain. Additionally, the results not only reflect the intermediate-frequency noise bandwidth performance of the device but also provide direct guidance for material and fabrication process verification.

Keywords: properties of superconductors thermodynamic properties thermoelectric effects time and frequency

Received: 27 June 2025
Revised: 26 August 2025
Accepted manuscript online: 15 September 2025

PACS:	06.30.Ft	(Time and frequency)
	74.25.-q	(Properties of superconductors)
	74.25.Bt	(Thermodynamic properties)
	74.25.fg	(Thermoelectric effects)

Fund: Project supported by the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. XDB0800000), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 12222308), and the Fund from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. PTYQ2024BJ0010).

Corresponding Authors: Guoao Xie, Yuan Ren
E-mail: xiega@pmo.ac.cn;yren@pmo.ac.cn

Cite this article:

Guoao Xie(谢国傲), Ruixuan Tang(唐睿轩), Zhengheng Luo(罗政恒), Jiameng Wang(王家萌), Kangmin Zhou(周康敏), Wei Miao(缪巍), Wen Zhang(张文), Yuan Ren(任远), and Shengcai Shi(史生才) Characterization of picosecond-scale response time of superconducting NbN hot electron bolometric mixers 2026 Chin. Phys. B 35 060601

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Characterization of picosecond-scale response time of superconducting NbN hot electron bolometric mixers

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