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SIS Junction Lab


the SIS junctions lab | the backend group | the receiver group | the computer group | the workshop group |

This group mainly developes and routinely fabricates SUPERCONDUCTOR- INSULATOR-SUPERCONDUCTOR (SIS) tunnel junctions with embedding circuit which operate as frequency mixers in radioastronomical receivers.

These mixer chips are essentially made for IRAM but also for other institutes as the Max Planck-Institutes for Radioastronomy in Bonn and for Extraterrestrische Physik in Muenchen.

The frequency ranges are around 100, 150, 230, 350, 460, 690 and 810 GHz.

The technology is based on so called Nb-Aloxide-Nb trilayers but recently mixer chips have also been made from NbN-MgO-NbN Trilayers which could be of interest above about 700GHz.

Other subjects are Superconductor-Insulator-Normalconductor (SIN) mixer chips which could be of interest sub-millimeter multibeam receivers and tunnel devices for detection of optical photons.