Lim Hoi Yen - 36715

Microwave oscillators & low power amplifiers are made from:

Bipolar transistors
Field-effect transistors (FETs)
High electron mobility transistors (HEMTs)
Varactor multipliers
IMPATTS (IMPact ionization Avalanche Transit- Time diode)
Transferred electron devices (Gunn devices)

Briefly explain each component

Lim Hoi Yen - 36715

Bipolar transistors
The transistor parameters and characterizes the current gain of the BJT. It is this gain that
allow BJTs to be used as the building blocks of electronic amplifiers. The three main BJT
amplifier topologies are common emitter, common base and common collector. It also can
amplify analog or digital signals. It can also switch DC or function as an oscillator. Physically, a
bipolar transistor amplifies current, but it can be connected in circuits designed to amplify
voltage or power.
Field-effect transistors (FETs)
All FETs have source, drain, and gate terminals that correspond roughly to the emitter, collector,
and base of BJTs. Most FETs have a fourth terminal called the body, base, bulk, or substrate.
High electron mobility transistors (HEMTs)
A high power pseudomorphic (PM) AlGaAs/InGaAs high electron mobility transistor (HEMT)
with improved gain at 94 GHz. The transistor includes an InGaAs quantum well having a silicon
planar doping layer located at the bottom. A donor layer comprises AlGaAs with a silicon planar
doping layer. The resulting transistor exhibits superior gain and noise characteristics that
relatively high power levels when operating at 94 GHz. The transistor is produced using an
optimized growth process which involves growing the quantum well at a relatively low
temperature and then raising the temperature to grow subsequent layers.
Varactor multipliers
Varactor multipliers use a variable-capacitance diode to generate harmonics of a lower frequency
microwave signal. They are most useful for low harmonic conversion (multiplier factors of 24),
while step-recovery diodes are able to generate more power at higher harmonics.
IMPATTS (IMPact ionization Avalanche Transit- Time diode)
IMPATTS use avalanche breakdown of a reverse-biased p-n junction to generate electrons and
transmit time effects to have the electrons come out of the device exactly one half-cycle. The
GaAs IMPATTS are fabricated utilizing low dislocation epitaxial grown doping structures and
with high temperature metallization processes. They are also designed to have high output power
when measured in a critically coupled cavity at the frequency of operation.
Transferred electron devices (Gunn devices)
Gunn devices use the properties of gallium arsenide to generate microwaves. They have three
regions exist: two of those are heavily N-doped on each terminal, with a thin layer of lightly ndoped material between. In addition, they do not conduct in only one direction and
cannot rectify alternating current like other diodes, which is why some sources do not use the
term diode but prefer TED.