Double-resonant-tunneling-diode bridge-less patch-antenna oscillators operating up to 1.09 THz
Petr Ourednik, Michael Feiginov
Abstract
9 μW at the fundamental frequency of 1.09 THz, 15 μW at 0.98 THz, and up to 27 μW at the lower frequencies of 620–660 GHz have been demonstrated with double-resonant-tunneling-diode (RTD) patch-antenna oscillators. These parameters are substantially superior to those previously reported for patch-antenna RTD oscillators, and they are close to the state-of-the-art level for all other types of RTD oscillators at around 1 THz. However, the double-RTD patch-antenna oscillators also provide essential advantages of compactness, simplicity, vertical emission from the chip surface, and a high degree of isolation from the external circuitry. These improved parameters are due to the implementation of conical vias with dramatically reduced parasitic inductance and due to the use of 1 nm barrier RTDs. We demonstrate that there is much room for further improvement of the parameters of these oscillators.