Circuit Integration of GaAs Gunn Devices

The conditions for circuit integration with anodetriggered Gunn devices and Schottky-gate controlled Gunn devices on epitaxial GaAs layers are examined. Thin epitaxial layers with homogeneous mobility and carrier-concentration profiles perpendicular to the surface were grown from the liquid phase. The dimensions of the device producing a relative current drop of 40 percent with minimum power consumption are determined from the limits of the carrier-concentration-length and carrier-concentration-thickness products assuming simple heat sinking. A maximum pulse rate of 5 Gbit/s can be estimated for a logic stage consisting of Gunn device of minimum power consumption, load resistor, and microstrip lines connecting to two succeeding stages. The calculated data are compared to measurements taken on logic circuits with Gunn devices.