A research-and-development team of ALMA Band 10 lead by Yoshinori Uzawa succeeded to develope the most sensitive and the lowest-noise reciever from 787GHz to 950GHz. Collaborating with Kobe Advanced ICT Center, the team members developed NbTiN-based Superconductor-Insulator-Superconductor (SIS) mixer.

The SIS mixer in corporating Nb SIS junctions and microstrip tuning circuits consisting of NbTiN, Silica, and Aluminium offer the lowest reported receiver noise temperatures to date in the 787-950 GHz frequency band, i.e., the frequency band of the ALMA Band 10.

From the beginning of the ALMA planning, the Band 10 has been known as the most difficult reciever to be developed. The specifications determined only by scientific requirements seemed to be too difficult to be fulfilled.

Not only for use of astronomical studies, technologies and knowledge obtaining from this study can be applied to practical use. In this frequency band, fingerprint spectra of a variety of molecular gases and reagent chemicals have been found. Thus, the R&D team's technologies to transmit and recieve signals at the frequency around 1,000 GHz are expected to contribute as basis to develop examination devices.

The results was reported at an international conference, ISEC2009, held from June 16 to June 19, 2009.