Title :
A field-deployed 810 GHz receiver incorporating a superconducting mixer developed for herschel space telescope and a SiGe low noise amplifier
Author :
Hedden, A. ; Li, H. ; Tong, E. ; Paine, S. ; Blundell, R. ; Kawamura, J. ; Groppi, C. ; Kulesa, C. ; Walker, C. ; de Lange, G. ; Mani, H. ; Weinreb, S.
Author_Institution :
CfA, Cambridge, MA, USA
Abstract :
We have constructed an 810 GHz receiver system incorporating a HIFI Band-3 superconductor-insulator-superconductor (SIS) mixer developed for Herschel space observatory and a wide-band SiGe low noise amplifier (LNA) designed at Caltech. The instrument is currently installed at the RLT telescope (elevation 5500 m) in northern Chile. Hot/cold (280 K/72 K) load measurements performed at the telescope yield noise temperatures of 225 K (Y-factor = 1.7) including receiver optics. First-light observations indicate that the receiver is highly sensitive and functions stably. We present details of the receiver system, its performance at the telescope, and first-light observations with a Herschel mixer.
Keywords :
low noise amplifiers; radiotelescopes; silicon compounds; submillimetre wave receivers; superconductor-insulator-superconductor mixers; wide band gap semiconductors; HIFI Band-3 superconductor-insulator-superconductor mixer; Herschel space telescope; SiGe; field-deployed receiver; frequency 810 GHz; low noise amplifier; telescope yield noise temperatures; temperature 225 K; wideband low noise amplifier; Broadband amplifiers; Germanium silicon alloys; Low-noise amplifiers; Optical amplifiers; Optical noise; Optical receivers; Silicon germanium; Superconducting device noise; Superconducting devices; Telescopes; IF amplifiers; radio astronomy; submillimeter wave measurements; submillimeter wave receivers; submillimeter wave spectroscopy; superconductor insulator superconductor mixers;
Conference_Titel :
Microwave Symposium Digest, 2009. MTT '09. IEEE MTT-S International
Conference_Location :
Boston, MA
Print_ISBN :
978-1-4244-2803-8
Electronic_ISBN :
0149-645X
DOI :
10.1109/MWSYM.2009.5165855