Direct current heating in superconductor–insulator–superconductor tunnel devices for THz mixing applications

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DC heating effects in superconductor–insulator–superconductor (SIS) tunnel junctions are studied by comparing junctions sandwiched between niobium or aluminum layers. With niobium a temperature rise of several Kelvin is observed, which is reduced by an order of magnitude by using aluminum. A simple model satisfactorily explains this observation and predicts a 30% increase in the subgap current due to the elevated temperature. At the operating voltage for heterodyne mixing the receiver noise temperature increases by only 2%.