Monolithic IMPATT oscillator characterization

Two methods were developed to characterize the monolithic IMPATT resonator used in the design of the millimeter-wave oscillators. Although they are only good for discrete frequency points, the accuracy is much better than the method of de-embedding. The transmission resonance method can also be applied to other circuitry with high reflection coefficients, such as the matching circuit of a narrowband power FET, or HBT. The varactor method is very handy for in situ measurements. The drawback is that it is destructive and the accuracy deteriorates when the loss is high (a small arc). The experimental results are valuable for monolithic IMPATT oscillator design