Integrated superconductive heterodyne receiver

A superconductive heterodyne receiver which receives and downconverts terahertz radio frequency signals into amplified intermediate frequency signals, said superconductive heterodyne receiver comprising:

• an antenna which receives said terahertz radio frequency signals from free space;
• a means for amplifying said terahertz radio frequency signals from said antenna to produce thereby a set of amplified radio frequency signals;
• a local oscillator, which produces local oscillator signals;
• a superconductive mixer network which receives and mixes said local oscillator signals from said local oscillator with said set of amplified radio frequency signals from said amplifying means to produce thereby a set of intermediate radio frequency signals, wherein said superconductive mixer network comprises:
• (1) a mixer circuit which mixes said local oscillator signals with said radio terahertz frequency signals to produce thereby intermediate frequency signals, said mixer network producing reflected signals as a side effect of processing said oscillator signals and said radio frequency signals, wherein said mixer network comprises:
• (1a) first, second, third and fourth coupler elements, each having first and second input terminals and first and second output terminals, said first coupler element receiving said radio frequency signals over its first input terminal and splitting the radio frequency signals to output them over its first and second output terminals;
• (1b) said second coupler element receiving said local oscillator signals over its first and second input terminal and splitting the local oscillator signals to output them over its first and second output terminals to said third and fourth coupler elements;
• (1c) said third and fourth coupler elements each having their first and second input terminals respectively connected to the first and second output terminals of the first and second coupler elements to receive said radio frequency signals and said local oscillator signals therefrom, said third and fourth coupler elements outputting sets of coupled signals over their first and second output terminals;
• and
• (1d) a means for mixing the sets of coupled signals from the third and fourth coupler elements to output thereby said sets of intermediate frequency signals to said intermediate frequency power combiner;
• 2) an intermediate frequency power combiner which combines said intermediate frequency signals from said mixer circuit to output thereby said set of intermediate frequency signals;
• and
• (3) a means for draining said reflected signals from said mixer network so that said reflected signals do not contaminate the local oscillator signals from said local oscillator;
• and
• an intermediate frequency amplifier which receives and amplifies said set of intermediate frequency radio signals from said superconductive mixer network to produce thereby said amplified intermediate frequency signals.