IMPATT diode quasi-static large-signal model

Abstract

A quasi-static large-signal model of an IMPATT diode with general doping profile is derived. The numerical solution of this model has been implemented in a Fortran IV program which executes economically. This model has been used to analyze large-and small-signal admittances of GaAs double-drift and quasi-Read IMPATT diodes. The small-signal results are in good agreement with calculations done using a linearized small-signal model. The large-signal calculations exhibit power and efficiency saturation when reasonable values of parasitic resistance are included and are in good agreement with experimental GaAs diode performance. The generalized quasi-static formulation simplifies analysis of IMPATT structures with arbitrary doping profiles, specifically those with distributed avalanche zones, by providing the correspondence between these devices and the Read diode model.