Very wide bandwidth hot electron bolometer heterodyne detectors based on single-walled carbon nanotubes

A hot electron bolometer heterodyne detector is proposed that has the potential for achieving intermediate frequency bandwidths of several hundred GHz. The concept relies on experimentally measured ballistic/quasiballistic transport properties of single-wall carbon nanotubes and the measured temperature dependence of the resistance of such tubes. Receiver noise temperatures of a few thousand Kelvin, and local oscillator powers of 1 mu W or less are estimated. (c) 2005 American Institute of Physics.