A single chip broadband noise source for noise measurements at cryogenic temperatures

This paper presents the design and performance of a single chip broadband noise source dedicated for on-chip measurements in a cryogenic environment. The noise source is used to generate the two input noise powers Pc and Ph which are required by the commonly used Y-factor method. High accuracy in temperature control and impedance presented to the device under test is achieved over a wide temperature range from 7 K to 100 K. Noise temperature measurements of a cryogenic low noise amplifier were performed on-chip and show a typical accuracy of ±1 K.