The use of the germanium rectifier in television receivers

The germanium rectifier is a non-linear resistor, and the essential differences between it and a diode are summarized. For this reason, circuits designed for a diode are not optimum for a germanium rectifier, and simple design procedure is outlined for each of the basic circuits where it may be used in a television receiver. The circuits covered include the high-level rectifier, low-level rectifier, mixer and interference suppressor. In addition to design procedure applicable to all types, the performance to be expected from some commercial types now available is indicated. Owing to the mechanism of conduction within the barrier layer, the performance of individual units which fall within a given group will vary from that of the average rectifier within the group. The nature of the variation to be expected is indicated, and data are given for assessing the expected variation of existing types now available. Circuit design procedure may be greatly simplified by adopting approximate formulae, and the derivation of such approximations is outlined in the Appendices.