QNet Amplifier Pump

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is seeking information from industry sources to determine the availability and capability of providers to supply a low noise, tunable, high-power, single frequency microwave synthesizer with the capability to generate tones of up to 16 GHz. This equipment is required for the readout of microwave-optical transducer devices being developed by collaborators at the University of Colorado and Joint Institute for Laboratory Astrophysics (CU-JILA). The synthesizer must have similar performance to the existing system, with an output power above +25 dBm and an adjustable carrier frequency from roughly DC up to >16 GHz. The high output power is critical for ensuring the generated signal is able to reach the device through the high isolation attenuation required by the dilution refrigerator which houses the transducer. • The synthesizer must have a wide tuning range up to at least 16 GHz. • The associated phase and amplitude noise of this generator are crucial because they additionally couple to the amplifier as noise decreasing readout performance. • A phase noise floor approaching -145 dBc/Hz at 1.5MHz offset of the carrier is desirable. • The equipment must have manual and programmable control interface, external trigger operation, and external 10 MHz reference frequency input. • The equipment must be a rack mount or bench top unit with an N-Type or 2.92 mm (K) coaxial output connector.