Physics-Based Design and Optimization of Schottky Diode Frequency Multipliers for Terahertz Applications

Planar Schottky diode frequency multipliers are by far the most employed devices for local oscillator (LO) power generation at terahertz frequencies. In order to push up to the limit the available LO power at terahertz frequencies, the use of accurate physics-based simulation tools is highly necessa...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:IEEE transactions on microwave theory and techniques 2010-07, Vol.58 (7), p.1933-1942
Main Authors: Siles, J V, Grajal, J
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Circuit simulation
Computational modeling
Computer simulation
Design automation
Design optimization
Devices
Frequency
Frequency multipliers
harmonic balance
local oscillator (LO) sources
Local oscillators
Mathematical models
Multipliers
Numerical models
Power generation
Power system harmonics
Schottky diode modeling
Schottky diodes
Terahertz frequencies
terahertz technology
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Summary:Planar Schottky diode frequency multipliers are by far the most employed devices for local oscillator (LO) power generation at terahertz frequencies. In order to push up to the limit the available LO power at terahertz frequencies, the use of accurate physics-based simulation tools is highly necessary to develop multiplier circuits with the highest performance. This paper investigates the potential capabilities of Schottky multipliers for LO power generation up to 2.4 THz by means of an in-house computer-aided design tool that combines harmonic balance techniques with an accurate physics-based numerical model of the semiconductor device. According to numerical simulation results, a 32-μW LO power could be theoretically achieved with a 2.4-THz LO chain at room temperature from a 150-mW W-band solid-state LO source. This demonstrates that there is still a broad margin for the improvement of state-of-the-art terahertz LO power sources.
ISSN:0018-9480
1557-9670
DOI:10.1109/TMTT.2010.2050103