A Broadband Conversion Loss Measurement Technique for Terahertz Harmonic Mixers

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Jayasankar, Divya, Reck, Theodore, Durant, Steven, Stake, Jan, Hesler, Jeffrey
Format: Preprint
Published: 2024
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author Jayasankar, Divya
Reck, Theodore
Durant, Steven
Stake, Jan
Hesler, Jeffrey
author_facet Jayasankar, Divya
Reck, Theodore
Durant, Steven
Stake, Jan
Hesler, Jeffrey
contents This letter presents an experimental characterization technique for assessing the performance of terahertz harmonic mixers across a wide frequency range. The total signal transfer loss of three mixers was measured in both up- and down-conversion configurations, and the conversion loss was determined through the solution of a linear system of equations. The proposed method uses LO signals with a frequency offset to ensure single sideband measurements, thereby eliminating the need for image-reject filters. The three-mixer method was verified by measurements of millimeter-wave mixers, which matched the traditional characterization method using a calibrated source and power meter. Given this successful millimeter-wave demonstration, we characterized three WM-86 Schottky diode x4-harmonic mixers from 2.2 to 3 THz. This technique presents a notable advantage for conducting broadband mixer characterizations, particularly in the terahertz frequency regime which lacks tunable, wide-band sources.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2401_01774
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle A Broadband Conversion Loss Measurement Technique for Terahertz Harmonic Mixers
Jayasankar, Divya
Reck, Theodore
Durant, Steven
Stake, Jan
Hesler, Jeffrey
Instrumentation and Detectors
Optics
This letter presents an experimental characterization technique for assessing the performance of terahertz harmonic mixers across a wide frequency range. The total signal transfer loss of three mixers was measured in both up- and down-conversion configurations, and the conversion loss was determined through the solution of a linear system of equations. The proposed method uses LO signals with a frequency offset to ensure single sideband measurements, thereby eliminating the need for image-reject filters. The three-mixer method was verified by measurements of millimeter-wave mixers, which matched the traditional characterization method using a calibrated source and power meter. Given this successful millimeter-wave demonstration, we characterized three WM-86 Schottky diode x4-harmonic mixers from 2.2 to 3 THz. This technique presents a notable advantage for conducting broadband mixer characterizations, particularly in the terahertz frequency regime which lacks tunable, wide-band sources.
title A Broadband Conversion Loss Measurement Technique for Terahertz Harmonic Mixers
topic Instrumentation and Detectors
Optics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2401.01774