The current state of competing (non Josephson junction) techniques

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Abstract
Great strides have been made in recent years as the technology employed in the generation and detection of electromagnetic radiation is pushed toward centimeter, millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths. We review, briefly and from a very practical standpoint, the present state and immediate prospects of devices in a number of areas in which one might consider the possible use of Josephson junction techniques. — Sources for wavelengths longer than about 2 mm are readily available, while shortward of a few hundred microns wavelength a large number of discrete and tunable laser sources exist. In the remaining decade in wavelength, harmonic generation may be used. — Incoherent detection is largely done with bolometers of various types. They have been extensively described in the literature and will be only briefly reviewed here. — Superheterodyne mixers employing Schottky barrier diodes have been used extensively at wavelengths toward one millimeter. Efforts to extend their usefulness to shorter wavelengths and to improve their sensitivity by cooling will be described in detail. - An InSb hot carrier bolometer has been used as a superheterodyne detector at 2.5 and 1.2 mm wavelengths. It is expected that this device can maintain its level of performance to about 300 μ, although its bandwidth at any wavelength is quite limited. — Masers and parametric amplifiers can presently be used to about one centimeter wavelength. It seems possible to realize such devices at somewhat shorter wavelengths as well. Examples of each of these devices are given, and, as far as possible, their relative merits for a number of general applications compared

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