Study of the effect of various parameters on nonlineartransmission-line (NLTL) performance

Nonlinear transmission-line (NLTL) shock-wave generator performance in the presence of frequency-dependent losses is reported. The skin effect is studied using the harmonic-balance technique with the aid of the HP-MDS design database language. Measured results of a 48-section NLTL excited by a 26.6-dBm sinusoidal signal from the literature are compared with simulation with good agreement. Experimental performance of an eight-section GaAs monolithic-microwave integrated circuit NLTL is reported for 26-dBm drive conditions. Schottky diode capacitance-voltage (C-V) characteristics are computed using the Silvaco physical simulator for different doping profiles. Doping profiles are used as a parameter in NLTL design and their effect on NLTL performance is investigated. S-parameter measurements are performed for the GEC Marconi Materials Technology GaAs Schottky diode family from which the C-V characteristics are extracted and used to validate simulation. The problem of variable dynamic range is addressed and variable diode areas are used to enhance matching     

A novel silicon Schottky diode for NLTL applications

The design and simulation of a novel silicon Schottky diode for nonlinear transmission line (NLTL) applications is discussed in this paper. The Schottky diode was fabricated on a novel silicon-on-silicide-on-insulator (SSOI) substrate for minimized series resistance. Ion implantation technology was used as a low-cost alternative to molecular beam epitaxy to approximate the delta (/spl delta/) doping profile, which results in strong nonlinear CV characteristics. The equivalent circuit model of the Schottky diode under reverse bias conditions was extracted from the S-parameter measurement performed on the diode. The measured CV characteristics show strong nonlinearity, the junction capacitance varies from 182 to 47.5 fF as the reverse bias voltage is varied from 0 to -5 V. A parasitic inductance of 40 pH was measured for the silicon Schottky diode, which is much smaller than a comparable sized GaAs Schottky diode. This small inductance is an advantage for the silicon Schottky diode offering improvement in the silicon NLTL performance.     

GaAs nonlinear transmission lines for picosecond pulse generation and millimeter-wave sampling

The GaAs nonlinear transmission line (NLTL) is a monolithic millimeter-wave integrated circuit consisting of a high-impedance transmission line loaded by reverse-biased Schottky contacts. The engineering of functional monolithic NLTLs is considered. Through generation of shock waves on the NLTL, the authors have generated electrical step functions with approximately 5 V magnitude and less than 1.4 ps fall time. Diode sampling bridges strobed by NLTL shock-wave generators have attained bandwidths approaching 300 GHz and have applications in instruments for millimeter-wave waveform and network measurements. The authors discuss the circuit design and diode design requirements for picosecond NLTL shock-wave generators and NLTL-driven sampling circuits.<>     

4H-silicon carbide Schottky barrier diodes for microwave applications

In this paper, physical models for vertical 4H-silicon carbide (4H-SiC) Schottky diodes are used to develop a design method, where a maximum cutoff frequency for a given punch-through is achieved. The models presented are also used to extract microwave simulator computer-aided design (CAD) models for the devices. A device process was developed and Schottky diodes were fabricated in-house. Characterization of the devices was performed and compared to the theoretical models with good agreement. A demonstrator singly balanced diode mixer was simulated using the developed models. The mixer was fabricated using the in-house developed diodes, and measurements on the mixer show good agreement with the CAD simulations. A conversion loss of 5.2 dB was achieved at 850 MHz, and an excellent IIP/sub 3/ of 31 dBm at 850-MHz RF was measured, at 30-dBm P/sub LO/. These results verify the enhanced properties of the SiC Schottky diode compared to other nonwide bandgap diodes.     

3 A/40 V新型肖特基势垒二极管的设计与研制

为提高传统肖特基二极管的击穿电压,减小了器件的漏电流,提高芯片利用率,文中设计研制了适合于裸片封装的新型肖特基势垒二极管(SBD)。利用Silvaco Tcad软件模拟,在器件之间采用PN结隔离,器件周围设计了离子注入形成的保护环,实现了在浓度和厚度分别为7.5×1012 cm-3和5 μm的外延层上,制作出了反向击穿电压45 V和正向导通压降0.45 V的3 A/45 V肖特基二极管,实验和仿真结果基本吻合。此外,还开发了改进SBD结构、提高其电特性的工艺流程。     

Schottky diodes for analogue phase shifters in GaAs MMICs

A simple Schottky diode structure, which is easily implemented in a foundry gallium arsenide (GaAs) process, is described. This structure occupies very much less area than the usual technique of realising Schottky diodes, using standard FET structures. Two variations of the diode have been characterized and modeled using a standard equivalent circuit. This has been used to design a simple analogue phase shifter based on a loaded-line configuration. The phase shifter was manufactured using a standard foundry process and has shown excellent results in terms of phase shift linearity with tuning voltage, combined with low insertion loss, over the range 2-8 GHz     

太赫兹平面肖特基二极管参数模型

根据太赫兹平面肖特基二极管物理结构,在理想二极管SPICE参数模型的基础上建立了二极管小信号等效电路模型。依据该二极管等效电路模型设计了基于共面波导（CPW）去嵌方法的二极管S参数在片测试结构,并对其在0.1~50 GHz、75~110 GHz频率范围内进行了高频小信号测试,利用测试结果提取了高频下二极管电路模型中各部分电容、电阻以及电感参数。将相应的高频下电容与电阻参数分别与低频经验公式电容值和直流I-V测试提取的电阻值进行了对比,并利用仿真手段对高频参数模型进行了验证。完整的参数模型以及测试手段相较于理想二极管SPICE模型和传统的参数提取方法可以更为准确地表征器件在高频下的工作状态。该建模思路可用于太赫兹频段非线性电路的优化设计。     

4H-SiC trench MOSFET with an integrated Schottky barrier diode and L-shaped P+ shielding region

A novel 4H-SiC trench MOSFET is presented and investigated by simulation in this paper. The device features an integrated Schottky barrier diode and an L-shaped P⁺ shielding region beneath the gate trench and aside one wall of the gate trench (S-TMOS). The integrated Schottky barrier diode works as a free-wheeling diode in reverse recovery and reverse conduction, which significantly reduces reverse recovery charge (Q_rr) and reverse turn-on voltage (V_F). The L-shaped P⁺ region effectively shields the coupling of gate and drain, resulting in a lower gate–drain capacitance (C_gd) and date–drain charge (Q_gd). Compared with that of conventional SiC trench MOSFET (C-TMOS), the V_F and Q_rr of S-TMOS has reduced by 44% and 75%, respectively, with almost the same forward output current and reverse breakdown voltage. Moreover, the S-TMOS reduces Q_gd and C_gd by 32% and 22%, respectively, in comparison with C-TMOS.     

Multiplexer/demultiplexer IC technology for 100 Gb/s fiber-optictransmission

We report a new integrated circuit for multiplexing and demultiplexing at rates of 100 Gb/s. In transistor multiplexer/demultiplexer circuits, the operating data rate is limited by transistor bandwidth. The demonstrated circuit, which uses terahertz Schottky diodes, readily attains the necessary bandwidths. The IC, based in the diode nonlinear-transmission line (NLTL) technology, consists of an array of four sample-hold gates driven by NLTL strobe generators. To permit use in multiplexing, the sample-hold gates use a six-diode configuration with 150 GHz output bandwidth. Initial measurements with simple data patterns at 104 Gb/s are demonstrated     

A metal-amorphous silicon-germanium alloy Schottky barrier forinfrared optoelectronic IC on glass substrate application

The effects of material and structure parameters on an amorphous-silicon-germanium alloy Schottky barrier diode's responsivity have been investigated in detail. The effects contradict each other. A compromise is made in selecting parameters for construction of a Si_1-xGe_x:H Schottky barrier for an IR detector. The optimized amorphous-silicon-germanium alloy Schottky diode using x=0.43 alloy with a 900-nm-thick i-layer was found to have a peak at 850 nm with a responsivity of 0.6 A/W under -2-V bias. The diode also has a response time of 33 μs and slight photodegradation. Thus, the diode becomes a candidate for manufacturing the infrared OEIC (optoelectronic integrated circuit) on glass substrate in applications which require size, reproducibility, and low cost more than sensitivity     

Characteristics of n-CuInSe2/Au Schottky diodes

The n-CuInSe₂/Au point-contact Schottky diode was studied using current-voltage and capacitance-voltage measurements. Various important physical parameters of these diodes were derived from both measurements, and these values are comparable with the results reported on planar Schottky diodes.     

Reliability and micro-structural properties of GaAs Schottky diodes for submillimeter-wave applications

Whisker contacted GaAs Schottky barrier diodes are the standard devices for mixing and multiplier applications in the THz frequency range. This is mainly due to their minimum parasitics and mature technology. But with the decreasing size of the anode contact, which is required for operation at high frequencies (up to approx. 3 THz), the reliability and the micro-structural understanding of the Schottky barrier becomes increasingly important. This contribution presents new results concerning the reliability of Schottky diodes and the physical properties of small-area Schottky junctions, especially at low current densities. For these purposes a number of different Schottky diodes have been fabricated with different epilayer doping concentrations and anode diameters. Measured I/V characteristics show that the diode current deviates considerably from the ideal thermionic current behavior with decreasing diode diameter. This deviation shows an exponential dependence on the diode voltage and is a function of the doping concentration of the active layer. For a given doping concentration in the epi-layer and decreasing anode diameter, this phenomenon shifts the minimum of the ideality factor towards higher current densities. An explanation is given in terms of a difference of the cyrstallinity of the polycrystalline platinum films on the GaAs for decreasing SiO₂ aperture size in connection with a reduced Pt mobility in the electrolyte. The reliability of Schottky barrier diodes under thermal and electrical stress has been investigated on different THz Schottky diode structures. The results show that the barrier height and the ideality factor of the fabricated structures are not affected by thermal stress. Electrical stress induced by large forward currents up to a current density of 10 kA/mm² even leads to a slight increase of the barrier height and a reduction of the series resistance.     

Analysis of structural, optical and electrical properties of metal/p-ZnO-based Schottky diode

A systematic study of the behaviour of Pd/p-ZnO thin film Schottky diode has been reported. The p-type ZnO thin film with improved stability has been grown on n-type Si by doping ZnO with copper.μSeebeck measurement confirmed the p-type nature of Cu-doped ZnO thin film. The X-ray diffraction spectra of the deposited film revealed polycrystalline nature with preferred growth orientation of (101) of ZnO film. The surface morphological study demonstrated the conformal deposition of a thin film over n-Si wafer. The estimated bandgap of Cu-doped p-type ZnO thin film from ellipsometric measurement turns out to be 3.14 eV at 300 K. The measured electrical parameters of the proposed Pd/p-ZnO Schottky diode have also been validated by the results of numerical simulation obtained by using ATLAS^TM device simulator.     

Characterization of Nonlinear Transmission Lines for Short Pulse Amplification

Pulse propagation on nonlinear transmission lines (NLTLs), which are transmission lines with regularly spaced Schottky varactors, is investigated for the amplification of short pulses. We recently found that the soliton developed in an NLTL experiences an exponential amplitude growth, when it couples with an existing voltage edge. This paper clarifies how the pulse gain depends on the device parameters, including the line inductance, capacitance, and gradient of voltage edge, and describes the design criteria of an NLTL as a pulse amplifier, together with several results of calculations that examine the potential of the NLTL.     

A Simple Method for Millimeter-Wave Finline Balanced Mixer Design Using Three-Dimensional Field Simulation Software

In this paper, a simple method for millimeter-wave finline balanced mixer design using three-dimensional field simulation software has been proposed. The method can be widely used to design the diode-based circuits, especially for the circuit structures with orthogonal field in some specific hybrid integrated circuits which are unavailable to be designed using the circuit simulator. In these circuits, the power directly at diodes is correlated to the input reflection coefficient. The diodes mounted on the finline circuits are defined as impedance boundary in the commercial computer-aided design (CAD) tool High Frequency Structure Simulator (HFSS) model, and hence simulation with the use of HFSS can be implemented to optimize the input matching network of the finline circuits for transferring maximum power to the diodes. Two finline balanced mixers at U-band using commercial GaAs Schottky diodes have been designed and fabricated to validate this method. Matching structures at the radio frequency (RF) port have been employed for a better return loss and a lower conversion loss. Experiment results are presented and show good agreement with simulation data. The proposed method has proven to be useful for the design of millimeter-wave mixers in finline technique.     

Barrier height engineering on GaAs THz Schottky diodes by means ofhigh-low doping, InGaAs- and InGaP-layers

Barrier height engineering of n-GaAs-based millimeter-wave Schottky diodes using strained InGaAs/GaAs and InGaP/GaAs heterostructures and a high doping surface layer is presented. The Schottky barrier height can be varied between Φ_fb=0.52 eV and Φ_fb=1.0 eV. The use of a pseudomorphic InGaAs layer and/or a thin high doping layer at the surface significantly reduces the Schottky barrier height. This is advantageous for low-drive zero bias mixing applications, A full quantum mechanical numerical calculation is presented to simulate the influence of different high doping layer thicknesses on the diode's dc characteristic. The theoretical results are compared with experimental results, For reverse bias applications (e.g., varactors) a barrier height and breakdown voltage enhancement is realized with a lattice matched InGaP/GaAs heterostructure. The barrier height value is determined by temperature dependent dc-measurements. The epitaxial layered structures are grown by molecular beam epitaxy. The diode devices are fabricated in a fully planar technology using selective oxygen implantation for lateral isolation. The diode's cut-off frequencies are in the THz-range     

SiC power Schottky and PiN diodes

The present state of SiC power Schottky and PiN diodes are presented in this paper. The design, fabrication, and characterization of a 130 A Schottky diode, 4.9 kV Schottky diode, and an 8.6 kV 4H-SiC PiN diode, which are considered to be significant milestones in the development of high power SiC diodes, are described in detail. Design guidelines and practical issues for the realization of high-power SiC Schottky and PiN diodes are also presented. Experimental results on edge termination techniques applied to newly developed, extremely thick (e.g., 85 and 100 μm) 4H-SiC epitaxial layers show promising results. Switching and high-temperature measurements prove that SiC power diodes offer extremely low loss alternatives to conventional technologies and show the promise of demonstrating efficient power circuits. At sufficiently high on-state current densities, the on-state voltage drop of Schottky and PiN diodes have been shown to be comparable to those offered by conventional technologies     

Silicon carbide PiN and merged PiN Schottky power diode models implemented in the Saber circuit simulator

Dynamic electrothermal circuit simulator models are developed for silicon carbide power diodes. The models accurately describe the temperature dependence of on-state characteristics and reverse-recovery switching waveforms. The models are verified for the temperature dependence of the on-state characteristics, and the di/dt, dv/dt, and temperature dependence of the reverse-recovery characteristics. The model results are presented for 1500 V SiC Merged PiN Schottky (MPS) diodes, 600 V Schottky diodes, and 5000 V SiC PiN diodes. The devices studied have current ratings from 0.25 A to 5 A and have different lifetimes resulting in different switching energy versus on-state voltage trade-offs. The devices are characterized using a previously reported test system specifically designed to emulate a wide range of application conditions by independently controlling the applied diode voltage, forward diode current, di/dt, and dv/dt at turn-off. A behavioral model of the test system is implemented to simulate and validate the models. The models are validated for a wide range of application conditions for which the diode could be used.     

Schottky diode for bipolar LSI's consisting of an impurity-controlled Si substrate and Al(2%Si) electrode

Circuit design conditions of Schottky diodes have been investigated and the fabrication method for diodes suitable for the conditions has been proposed for applications to bipolar LSI's, such as ECL RAM and Schottky TTL. It has been found that the desired Schottky diode for bipolar LSI's is not an ideal device from the theoretical point of view. Desired built-in voltage, ideal factor, series resistance, and junction capacitance for the Schottky diode have been estimated, respectively, for the bipolar RAM and Schottky TTL. A proposed Schottky diode consists of an impurity-concentration-controlled