Journal
APPLIED PHYSICS LETTERS
Volume 115, Issue 23, Pages -Publisher
AMER INST PHYSICS
DOI: 10.1063/1.5116351
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Funding
- Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES)
- European Research Council (IDEASERC) (GEM) [306661]
- EPSRC (UK) [EP/P021859/1]
- European Union FET-Open Grant ULTRA-QCL [665158]
- Union FET-Open Grant MIR-BOSE [737017]
- French RENATECH network
- Royal Society
- Wolfson Foundation
- EPSRC [EP/P021859/1] Funding Source: UKRI
- European Research Council (ERC) [306661] Funding Source: European Research Council (ERC)
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We demonstrate a sensitive and compact terahertz heterodyne detection system based on a quantum cascade laser (QCL) as a local oscillator and a hot electron bolometer (HEB) as a mixer. It relies on an original optical coupling scheme where the terahertz (THz) signal to be detected and the local oscillator (LO) signal are coupled to the HEB from both sides of the integrated lens/antenna mixer. The THz signal of interest impinges on the front side through the silicon lens while the LO onto the rear (air) side. This concept allows us to remove the beam splitter usually employed in terahertz heterodyne receivers. The mixer consists of a Niobium Nitride HEB with a log-spiral planar antenna mounted on the flat side of a hyperhemispherical silicon lens. The local oscillator of the heterodyne detector is a low power consumption and low beam divergence 3rd-order distributed feedback laser with single mode emission at the target frequency of 2.7 THz. The coupling between the QCL and the HEB has been further optimized, using a dielectric hollow waveguide that reliably increases the laser beam directivity and permits us to pump the HEB into its most sensitive state through the air side of the planar antenna. We have measured a noncorrected double sideband receiver noise temperature of 880 K at 2.7 THz. Published under license by AIP Publishing.
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