The Effects of Ionizing Radiation on Gunn Diode Oscillators

This paper presents the results of an investigation of the performance of both 100 mW CW and 5-W pulse-mode 5-GHz Gunn diodes subjected to dose rates of .1 to 50 billion rads(Si)/sec. Two modes of failure for Gunn diode microwave oscillators exposed to high intensity gamma ray pulses have been found...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:IEEE transactions on nuclear science 1971-01, Vol.18 (6), p.295-303, Article 195
Main Authors: Berg, N., Dropkin, H.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Avalanche breakdown
Electromagnetic heating
Gunn devices
Ionizing radiation
Microwave oscillators
Photoconductivity
Pulse transformers
Pulsed power supplies
Semiconductor diodes
Threshold voltage
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Summary:This paper presents the results of an investigation of the performance of both 100 mW CW and 5-W pulse-mode 5-GHz Gunn diodes subjected to dose rates of .1 to 50 billion rads(Si)/sec. Two modes of failure for Gunn diode microwave oscillators exposed to high intensity gamma ray pulses have been found: (1) temporary cessation of power output; and (2) avalanche breakdown where large currents surge through the diode. The first effect is a result of the detuning and mode-shifting of the oscillator, caused by the excess carrier-concentration associated with the radiation-induced photocurrents. The avalanche breakdown results from the diode heating caused by the large radiation-induced photocurrents. It is shown theoretically and experimentally that the basic negative resistance and the resulting Gunn phenomenon are not quenched by ionizing radiation.
ISSN:0018-9499
1558-1578
DOI:10.1109/TNS.1971.4326446