The ALMA Band 9 receiver: Design, construction, characterization, and first light

Aims. We describe the design, construction, and characterization of the Band 9 heterodyne receivers (600–720 GHz) for the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). First-light Band 9 data, obtained during ALMA commissioning and science verification phases, are presented as well. Methods. The ALMA Band 9 receiver units (so-called ...

Generation of degenerate, factorizable, pulsed squeezed light at telecom wavelengths

We characterize a periodically poled KTP crystal that produces an entangled, two-mode, squeezed state with orthogonal polarizations, nearly identical, factorizable frequency modes, and few photons in unwanted frequency modes. We focus the pump beam to create a nearly circular joint spectral probability distribution between the two modes. After...

A high efficiency superconducting nanowire single electron detector

We report the detection of single electrons using a Nb0.7Ti0.3N superconducting wire deposited on an oxidized silicon substrate. While it is known that this device is sensitive to single photons, we show that it also detects single electrons with kilo-electron-volt energy emitted from the cathode of a scanning electron microscope with an...

Position controlled nanowires for infrared single photon emission

We report the experimental demonstration of single-photon and cascaded photon pair emission in the infrared, originating from a single InAsP quantum dot embedded in a standing InP nanowire. A regular array of nanowires is fabricated by epitaxial growth on an electron-beam patterned substrate. Photoluminescence spectra taken on single quantum...

Reduced frequency noise in superconducting resonators

We report a reduction in the frequency noise in coplanar waveguide superconducting resonators. The reduction of 7 dB is achieved by removing the exposed dielectric substrate surface from the region with high electric fields and by using NbTiN. In a model-analysis the surface of NbTiN is found to be a negligible source of noise, experimentally...

Minimal resonator loss for circuit quantum electrodynamics

We report quality factors of up to 500x10³ in superconducting resonators at the single photon levels needed for circuit quantum electrodynamics. This result is achieved by using NbTiN and removing the dielectric from regions with high electric fields. As demonstrated by a comparison with Ta, the crucial sources of intensity-dependent loss are...

Enhanced telecom wavelength single-photon detection with NbTiN superconducting nanowires on oxidized silicon

Superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs) have emerged as a highly promising infrared single-photon detector technology. Next-generation devices are being developed with enhanced detection efficiency (DE) at key technological wavelengths via the use of optical cavities. Furthermore, new materials and substrates are being explored...

Magnetic field dependence of the coupling efficiency of a superconducting transmission line due to the proximity effect

The coupling efficiency of a Nb superconducting transmission line has been measured using a Fourier transform spectrometer for different magnetic fields. It is found that the coupling decreases with increasing magnetic field when the frequency is close to the gap of the Nb superconductor. This is attributed to the changes of the surface...

Bandwidth Limitations of Nb/AlN/Nb SIS Mixers Around 700 GHz

We study, using niobium-technology, the bandwidth of SIS mixers operating at frequencies close to the energy-gap frequency. Microstriplines of niobium-silicon dioxide-niobium have different properties for the top and bottom superconductor, which we find to depend on the used fabrication process. Replacing the AlOx tunnel barrier by AlN, the...

Noise in NbTiN, Al, and Ta Superconducting Resonators on Silicon and Sapphire Substrates

We present measurements of the frequency noise and resonance frequency temperature dependence in planar superconducting resonators on both silicon and sapphire substrates. We show, by covering the resonators with sputtered SiOx layers of different thicknesses, that the temperature dependence of the resonance frequency scales linearly with...

Contribution of dielectrics to frequency and noise of NbTiN superconducting resonators

We study NbTiN resonators by measurements of the temperature dependent resonance frequency and frequency noise. Additionally, resonators are studied covered with SiOx dielectric layers of various thicknesses. The resonance frequency develops a nonmonotonic temperature dependence with increasing SiOx layer thickness. The increase in the noise is...

Epitaxial aluminum nitride tunnel barriers grown by nitridation with a plasma source

High critical current-density (10?to?420?kA/cm2) superconductor-insulator-superconductor tunnel junctions with aluminum nitride barriers have been realized using a remote nitrogen plasma from an inductively coupled plasma source operated in a pressure range of 10?3–10?1?mbar. We find a much better reproducibility and control compared to previous...

Niobium titanium nitride-based superconductor-insulator-superconductor mixers for low-noise terahertz receivers

Integrating NbTiN-based microstrip tuning circuits with traditional Nb superconductor-insulator-superconductor (SIS) junctions enables the low-noise operation regime of SIS mixers to be extended from below 0.7?to?1.15?THz. In particular, mixers incorporating a NbTiN/SiO2/NbTiN microstrip tuning circuit offer low-noise performance below 0.8–0.85...

Analysis of the fabrication process of Nb/Al-AlN/sub x//Nb tunnel junctions with low R/sub n/A values for SIS mixers