GaAs single-barrier varactors for millimeter-wave triplers: guidelines for enhanced performance

Author

Krishnamurthi, Kathiravan ; Nilsen, Svein M. ; Harrison, Robert G.

Author_Institution

Dept. of Electron., Carleton Univ., Ottawa, Ont., Canada

Volume

42

Issue

12

fYear

1994

fDate

12/1/1994 12:00:00 AM

Firstpage

2512

Lastpage

2516

Abstract

Earlier single-barrier varactors (SBVs) fabricated on GaAs suffered from low Q because of leaky barriers. By placing a thin AlAs layer in the center of an Al_0.4Ga_0.6As barrier, and using In_0.2Ga_0.8As spacers, one can increase the effective barrier height, thereby achieving SBVs with both high Q and good capacitance-modulation characteristics. Simulation of a 192-GHz tripler using these varactors shows purely reactive multiplication, without the output-power saturation both predicted and observed in triplers using leaky-barrier SBVs

Keywords

III-V semiconductors; Q-factor; frequency multipliers; gallium arsenide; leakage currents; millimetre wave diodes; millimetre wave frequency convertors; varactors; 192 GHz; Al_0.4Ga_0.6As; Al_0.4Ga_0.6As barrier; AlAs; EHF; GaAs; In_0.2Ga_0.8As; In_0.2Ga_0.8As spacers; MM-wave triplers; capacitance-modulation characteristics; effective barrier height; high Q-factor; millimeter-wave triplers; reactive multiplication; single-barrier varactors; thin AlAs layer; Circuits; Current measurement; Gallium arsenide; Guidelines; Leakage current; Microwave technology; Photonic band gap; Semiconductor materials; Space technology; Varactors;

fLanguage

English

Journal_Title

Microwave Theory and Techniques, IEEE Transactions on

Publisher

ieee

ISSN

0018-9480

Type

jour

DOI

10.1109/22.339790

Filename

339790