Design Optimization of High-Power Pulsed Mode IMPATT Oscillator: a Generalised Modelling on Sensitivity Analysis

Design Optimization of High-Power Pulsed Mode IMPATT Oscillator: a Generalised Modelling on Sensitivity Analysis

Diptadip Chakraborty et al IJCSET | June 2011 | Vol 1, Issue 5,253-258 Design Optimization of High-Power Pulsed Mode IMPATT Oscillator: A Generalised Modelling on Sensitivity Analysis Diptadip Chakraborty, Papia Bhattacharyya, Arijit Das, Milon Garai, Moumita Mukherjee Centre for Millimeter-wave Semiconductor Devices and Systems (CMSDS), Institute of Radio Physics and Electronics, University of Calcutta,1, Girish Vidyaratna Lane, Kolkata 700009, West Bengal, India Abstract— An optimized design of pulsed-mode Si double - drift diodes operating at high bias current density, where mobile IMPATT at W-band is presented in this paper. The design is space charge effect is very large. made realistic by incorporating physics –based modelling and Low atmospheric attenuation and high penetrating power of experimentally obtained material parameter data. For the first MM-wave signals through cloud, dust and fog at time, the authors have made a sensitivity analysis to study the atmospheric window frequencies have made MM-wave effects of variation of critical design parameters on the high- frequency performance of the devices. The authors have studied communication systems very attractive. In the MM-wave the effects of variation of junction temperature on the device frequency band, 94 GHz is one of the important atmospheric characteristics within a range of 300K-600K. A generalized window frequencies around which research activities in the physics-based drift-diffusion simulator is developed to study the field of MM-wave communication and RADAR systems are optimized performance of the device. centered. In recent time, Wide Band Gap (WBG) semiconductors have proposed as alternative for Keywords— Silicon IMPATT, Double-Drift device, conventional Si and GaAs, for developing high-power Sensitivity modelling, pulsed device, elevated junction IMPATTs. A few experimental works have been carried out temperature. in recent years to explore the possibilities of WBG IMPATTs, especially SiC as base semiconductor material. I. INTRODUCTION But the power-level, as obtained from those experiments are IMPATT diodes have emerged at the end of the 20th much lower than that expected from simulation point of Century, as most powerful solid-state sources of microwave view. This may be due to the lack of maturity of fabrication and millimeter-wave, covering a wide range of frequency process technology and complexity in ohmic-contact spectrum. The reported frequency range of IMPATT technology. On the other hand, Si technology is well oscillators extends from below X Band (6 GHz) to the sub- matured. In order to support ongoing experiments, the millimeter wave region. IMPATT is an acronym for IMPact authors in this paper have proposed a new optimized design Avalanche Transit Time (IMPATT) diode, which reflects which is carried out through a modified simulation method the mechanism of its operation. In its simplest form that includes the realistic doping profile, considering the IMPATT is a reverse-biased p-n junction diode, in which an multi-epitaxial epi-layer growth through MBE. In addition avalanche of electron-hole pair is produced in the high-field to this, field and temperature dependent electric-field and region of the device depletion layer by impact ionization. material parameters of Si are incorporated in the present The transit of carriers through the depletion layer leads to study to make it more realistic. The present analysis is quite generation of microwaves and millimeter waves when the general and it includes mobile-space charge as well as device is tuned in a microwave or millimeter wave cavity. elevated temperature effects. As the diode heats up during The vast frequency range and high-power output should the pulse the junction-temperature as well as the device make the IMPATT a highly suitable device to meet the ever impedance changes accordingly. This study will highlight increasing communication needs of the world. IMPATTs the important changes in RF-characteristics of the device have been used in microwave and millimeter wave digital within a complete pulse. The frequency variation of the and analog communication systems and in Radars, missile- device, which is due to the thermal effects, i.e. frequency seekers for defence systems. Si IMPATT diode is designed chirp-bandwidth is obtained from the study. During this on the basis of a generalized computer method for DC and study, the authors have varied the device junction current profiles in IMPATT devices starting from the field temperature within a wide range of 300K - 600K. maximum in the depletion layer. The field-maximum Parasitic resistance limits the high-frequency operation of method is suitable for any arbitrary doping profile and IMPATT devices. Within the pulse duration, due to the involves the determination of the location and magnitude of increasing junction temperature, the variation of parasitic the maximum field position. In earlier methods, the basic resistance and power output are estimated through a newly equations (Poisson’s and combined current continuity developed simulation technique. For the first time in this equations) were solved numerically starting from one edge paper, the authors have estimated the temperature of the depletion layer. The consideration of field maximum dependence of the diode admittance that is characterized by position at the edge of the depletion layer may lead to two temperatures coefficients. numerical instability. The present method, on the other hand, The effective performance of the device critically depends leads to quick solution of the boundary condition and is on the design parameters. Thus authors have made an especially suitable for design of millimeter wave IMPATT attempt to study the sensitivity of all the design parameters on the expected power output and efficiency. To the best of 253 Diptadip Chakraborty et al IJCSET | June 2011 | Vol 1, Issue 5,253-258 authors’ knowledge, this is the first report on sensitivity- Avalanche breakdown occurs in the junction when the modeling of the device. electric field is large enough such that the charge The present design-optimization study will act as a guide for multiplication factors (Mn, Mp) become infinite. The device engineers to fabricate high-power pulsed mode Si breakdown voltage is calculated by integrating the spatial IMPATT, which may be used in tracking RADAR or in any field profile over the total depletion layer width, i.e., other communication systems. (4) II. SIMULATION METHODOLOGY where, –x1 = n-side depletion layer width and, +x2 = p- The IMPATT diode is basically a p-n junction diode that side depletion layer width operates when it is reverse-biased to avalanche breakdown Small Signal Analysis condition. A one-dimensional model of the p-n junction has The small signal analysis of the IMPATT diode provides been considered in the present analysis. The following are the insight into the high frequency performance of the diode. The consideration in the simulation of DC and small-signal range of frequencies exhibiting negative conductance of the behaviour of Si DDR IMPATT diode: (i) the electron and diode can easily be computed by Gummel-Blue method hole velocities have been taken to be saturated and [Gummel (1967)]. From the dc field and current profiles, the independent of the electric field throughout the space-charge spatially dependent ionization rates that appear in the layer, (ii) the effect of carrier space-charge has been Gummel-Blue equations are evaluated, and fed as input data considered, (iii) Drift/Diffusion model is considered, (iv) for the small signal analysis. The edges of the depletion layer parasitic effects including skin-effect are incorporated in the of the diode, which are fixed by the dc analysis, are taken as modelling, (v) realistic doping profile as obtained from the the starting and end points for the small signal analysis. On MBE growth is taken into account, (vi) temperature splitting the diode impedance Z (x,) obtained from dependent material parameters are taken into account, (vii) Gummel–Blue method, into its real part R (x, ) and asymmetrical structure is considered for analysis. imaginary part X (x,), two differential equations are framed DC Analysis [Mukherjee (2008)]. A double-iterative simulation scheme The DC-method, described in details elsewhere [Roy (1985), incorporating modified Runge-Kutta method is used to solve Mukherjee (2008)], considers a generalized (n++ n p p++) these two equations simultaneously. The small signal structure. Here, n++ and p++ are highly doped substrates and n integrated parameters like negative conductance (-G), and p are epilayers. Summarily, in the dc method, the susceptance (B), impedance (Z), frequency band width, and computation starts from the field maximum near the the quality factor (Q) of the diode are obtained satisfying the metallurgical junction. The distribution of dc electric field boundary conditions derived elsewhere [Mukherjee (2008)]. and carrier currents in the depletion layer are obtained by a The simulation method provides the high-frequency double-iterative simulation method, which involves iteration negative resistance and negative reactance profiles in the over the magnitude of field maximum (Em), and its location space-charge layer of the device. The diode negative in the depletion layer. The method is used for a simultaneous resistance (-ZR) and reactance (-Zx) are computed through solution of Poisson and carrier continuity equations at each numerical integration of the -R (x) and -X (x) profiles over point in the depletion layer. The field boundary conditions are the active space-charge layer. given by, Thus, E (-x1) = 0 and E (+x2) = 0 (1) and Here -x1 and x2 represent the edges of the depletion layer in n and p regions, respectively. The boundary conditions for normalized current density P(x), The diode impedance Z is given by, are given by, P(-x1) = (2/Mp – 1 ) and P(x2) = (1 – 2/Mn) (2) Mn = J/Jns , Mp= J/Jps where Jns and Jps are electron and hole = -ZR + jZX (5) leakage current densities, respectively. The diode admittance is expressed as, M and M are hole and electron current multiplication -1 -1 p n Y = Z = -G + jB = (-ZR +j ZX) factors, respectively.

View Full Text

Details

  • File Type
    pdf
  • Upload Time
    -
  • Content Languages
    English
  • Upload User
    Anonymous/Not logged-in
  • File Pages
    6 Page
  • File Size
    -

Download

Channel Download Status
Express Download Enable

Copyright

We respect the copyrights and intellectual property rights of all users. All uploaded documents are either original works of the uploader or authorized works of the rightful owners.

  • Not to be reproduced or distributed without explicit permission.
  • Not used for commercial purposes outside of approved use cases.
  • Not used to infringe on the rights of the original creators.
  • If you believe any content infringes your copyright, please contact us immediately.

Support

For help with questions, suggestions, or problems, please contact us