Harmonic operation of GaAs millimetre wave transferred electron oscillators

Harmonic operation of GaAs millimetre wave transferred electron (TE) oscillators has been identified using a wideband waveguide system. The harmonic number was determined by precisely measuring the frequency as well as the frequency variations of the harmonic components when the oscillator was tuned mechanically or electrically. We find that GaAs TE oscillators at 94 GHz, matched to a waveguide circuit by means of a resonant disc, operate at the second or third harmonic frequency, depending on the length of the active GaAs region, which was between 1.8 and 2.6 ¿m.