Appropriate microwave frequency selection for biasing superconducting hot electron bolometers as terahertz direct detectors

Terahertz (THz) direct detectors based on superconducting niobium nitride (NbN) hot electron bolometers (HEBs) and biased by a simple microwave (MW) source have been studied. The frequency and power of the MW are selected by measuring the MW responses of the current–voltage ( I–V ) curves and resistance–temperature ( R–T ) curves of the NbN HEBs. The non-uniform absorption theory is used to explain the current jumps in the I–V curves and the resistance jumps in the R–T curves. Compared to the thermal biasing, the MW biasing method can improve the sensitivity, make the readout system much easier and consumes less liquid helium, which is important for long lasting experiments. The noise equivalent power (NEP) of 1.6 pW Hz^−1/2 and the response time of 86 ps are obtained for the detectors working at 4.2 K and 0.65 THz. (paper)