Broadband high-resolution receivers for the sub-millimetre region

The principal features of high-performance heterodyne receivers for the submillimeter frequency range are described. The implications of the constraints placed on hardware choices by space applications are examined, with attention given to input mixers, local oscillators, and back-end spectrum analyzers. Recent technological advances improving the performance of these components are described, and an account is given of the work being done on the realization of a fully automated, high-resolution, high-sensitivity receiver working in the 300-500 GHz band. The possibilities for the application of these systems are discussed, with emphasis on the importance of space-borne heterodyne receiver systems.