Microwave Applications of the Step Recovery Diode

There has been increasing interest in the past few years in methods for obtaining microwave power derived for vhf sources by means of single-stage multipliers of higher harmonic order. While such a method is less efficient than a cascade of varactor doublers and triplers, the reduced complexity and increased versatility will often mitigate the additional vhf drive power required. A single-stage high-harmonic-order multiplier usually consists of an input matching network and output cavity or bandpass filter. The input and output of single-stage multipliers are usually terminated with linear loads, whereas varactor chains are often difficult to align due to the nonlinear interaction between stages. An additional advantage of the single-stage multiplier is the possibility of employing prime harmonic numbers.