Microwave Sources
Semiconductor Sources
Reference:
Samuel Y. Liao
S. M. Sze
Prof. D. Kannadassan,
School of Electronics Engineering
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Semiconductor Microwave Sources
Low Power microwave generators
• Transferred Electron Devices (TEDs)
– Gunn diode
– LSA diode
– InP diode
– CdTe diode
• Avalanche Transit Time Devices (ATTDs)
– Read diode
– IMPATT diode
– TRAPATT diode
– BARITT diode
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Transferred Electron Devices (TEDs)
• Transferred electron effect is generally happening when the electron is
moving/transferring between various levels of conduction and valance bands
• When we sweep the voltage across the n-type GaAs specimen (of length L),
“The current increases initially, it reaches maximum at voltage VP (Peak
Potential). Immediately, it starts to decrease till voltage VV (valley voltage). It increases
after that”.
• The region where current decrease for increase in voltage (dV/dI = -ve) is called
“Negative differential resistance (NDR) region”.
• This NDR region is responsible for microwave oscillations. The explanation for the
effect is called “Transferred Electron Effect”.
Drift velocity
NDR
Electric field [KV/cm]
Momentum 3
Avalanche Transit Time Devices (ATTDs)
• Like Gunn Oscillators, the first “Negative resistance device” has been
designed was “Tunnel Diode”, which is proposed with heavily doped p-n
junction (later p-i-n configuration). Remember Gunn oscillator doesn’t have
any p-n junction.
• ATTDs also working with of p-n junction, but with breakdown at reverse bias
for large production of electrons and holes
• Originally it was proposed as theoretical model by Read, so-called “Read
Diode”, with n+ - p – i - p+ configuration.
• It has two distinct modes:
– Impact Ionization effect (IMPATT)
– Trapped Plasma effect (TRAPATT)
• As extension of IMPATT, by extending the length of drift region, the BARITT
diodes were developed.
• Though, DC-to-RF efficiency is less (less than 15%), the very high power and
frequency of operations are possible
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Read Diode
• Read diode is an imaginary diode
which was coined with basic
semiconductor theory.
• In its configuration, first n+-p
junction is called “Avalanche Heavily doped
region”. Then an intrinsic region,
also called drift region. The
charges produced at avalanche
region drift over intrinsic region.
Final p+ region collects charges
from drift region, also called
Source: S. Y. Liao
inactive region.
• At reverse bias, the read diode can
produce negative ac resistance, in
tern, delivers high power
microwave oscillations.
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Avalanche Multiplication
• At reverse bias, the n+-p junction’s depletion region is always extended till drift
region. This is due to lightly doped p region whose depletion region width is much
wider than at n+ side.
• The immobile charges, at junction, forms a high field region, acquires energy at
very high reverse bias and move from valance to conduction band. This form
electron hole pair.
• Further production of electron-hole pair, also called
avalanche multiplication, takes place at junction as
field continue to impact. This rate of multiplications is
defined as
• Vb-breakdown voltage of junction; V – applied
voltage and n is a numerical factor of material. ρ,μ,
and ε are resistivity, mobility and permittivity of space
charge region respectively.
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Working
• When total bias voltage (Vdc + Vac) is
higher than breakdown voltage (at
positive half cycle), the avalanche
multiplication occurs as diode is
reverse bias. The accumulated
charges at n+-p junction said as
“internal current” {I0(t)}, it drains
into drift region as like a pulse.
• The charges flow through drift
region have been shaped at negative
half cycle. This “external current”
{Ie(t)} become a square wave and
comes as sustained oscillation.
• Remember, the external current is
90o phase lag from internal current 7
IMPATT diode
• Practical Read-diode is IMPATT diode, first achieved by W. T. Read and R. L.
Johnston et al. The IMPATT diode has two effects to form negative resistance
effect:
– The impact ionization (forms internal current with delay of 90o with ac input)
– drift of internal current form (forms external current with delay of 90o with
internal current pulse)
• The transits angle or drift region length decides the negative resistance
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Practical IMPATTs
Source: S. Y. Liao
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Output power and Efficiency: State-of-art
challenge
Source: S. Y. Liao
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