Influence of the operating temperature on the design and utilization of 94 GHz pulsed silicon IMPATT diodes

Christophe Dalle (1) , Stéphane Beaussart (1) , Marie-Renée Friscourt (1)

1 IEMN - Institut d’Électronique, de Microélectronique et de Nanotechnologie - UMR 8520

The RF and thermal behavior of 94-GHz P/sup +/PNN/sup +/ double drift flat doping profile silicon impact ionization avalanche transit time (IMPATT) diodes for high-power pulsed operation is investigated by means of time domain electrical oscillator models. It is demonstrated that these diodes have a limited optimum temperature range of operation, associated to specific matching and bias conditions, to achieve a stable and high power operation. This restriction necessitates a thermal control when the oscillator must operate over a wide ambient temperature range. Highly doped, short active zone length diodes appear to have the best potential for high power performance.

Mots clés: Silicon; Semiconductor diodes; RLC circuits; Radio frequency; Oscillators; Temperature distribution; Q factor; Doping profiles; Impact ionization; Semiconductor devices

Domaines: Sciences de l'ingénieur [physics]

Christophe Dalle, Stéphane Beaussart, Marie-Renée Friscourt. Influence of the operating temperature on the design and utilization of 94 GHz pulsed silicon IMPATT diodes. IEEE Electron Device Letters, 1998, EDL-19, pp.262-264. ⟨10.1109/55.701437⟩. ⟨hal-00005339⟩