Modelling of Terahertz Planar Schottky Diodes
Licentiatavhandling, 2011

This thesis deals with the modelling of THz planar Schottky diodes, focusing on analyses of the geometry- dependent parasitics and the diode chip thermal management. Moving towards higher operating frequencies, the electromagnetic couplings pose significant limitations on the diode performance. In this work, a model of the loss at high frequencies for planar diodes is developed, specifically the ohmic losses in the cathode buffer mesa is analysed. As a result, the eddy current, skin and proximity effects have been identified as important loss mechanisms in the buffer mesa. This provides an explanation to the strong frequency dependency of the series resistance, which is not explainable using conventional diode series resistance models. Due to the current crowding effect, the upper boundary of the buffer-layer thickness is approximately one skin depth at the operating frequency, whereas the lower boundary is limited by the spreading resistance at DC. In addition to the ohmic loss, the parasitic capacitance and inductance inherently limit the power coupling to the diode junction. A model is developed to analyse this limitation, i.e by studying the diode resonance requencies as a function of diode geometry. Analysis of the diode resonance frequencies as a function of the pad-to-pad distance is presented. Result shows that there is a trade-off between the parasitic capacitance and inductance, in optimising the power coupling to the junction. Based on the chip layout of frequency doublers developed by Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), a systematic thermal analysis of the multiplier chip is performed. Taking the temperature-dependent material thermal properties into consideration, the result shows that the thermal resistance of the 200 GHz multiplier chip is in the order of 10^3 K/W. Meanwhile, the thermal time constant is more than tens of milliseconds. The simulation result is verified through thermal imaging using infrared microscope. Taking the thermal analysis a step further, a self-consistent electro-thermal model for the multiplier chip is proposed. The thermal model is developed using a thermal resistance matrix approach, with a linear-temperature dependency approximation of the thermal resistance. Compared to the circuit analysis without thermal model, analysis with the electro-thermal model shows a better agreement with the measured result, i.e. within 5% of the measured conversion efficiency.

S-parameter extraction

Electro-thermal

Schottky diodes

Skin effect

Electromagnetic

Frequency multipliers

High-power frequency multiplier

Current crowding

Proximity effect

Submillimetre wave generation and detection

Geometric modelling

Gallium Arsenide

Chalmers MC2 A423 Kollektorn
Opponent: Assoc. Prof Per Lundgren, BioNano Systems Laboratory, MC2, Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden

Författare

Aik-Yean Tang

Gigahertzcentrum

Chalmers, Mikroteknologi och nanovetenskap, Terahertz- och millimetervågsteknik

Impact of Eddy Currents and Crowding Effects on High Frequency Losses in Planar Schottky Diodes

IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices,; Vol. 58(2011)p. 3260-3269

Artikel i vetenskaplig tidskrift

Steady-State and Transient Thermal Analysis of High-Power Planar Schottky Diodes

22nd International Symposium on Space Terahertz Technology,; (2011)

Paper i proceeding

Electro-Thermal Model for Multi-Anode Schottky Diode Multipliers

IEEE Transactions on Terahertz Science and Technology,; Vol. 2(2012)p. 290-298

Artikel i vetenskaplig tidskrift

Styrkeområden

Informations- och kommunikationsteknik

Nanovetenskap och nanoteknik (SO 2010-2017, EI 2018-)

Ämneskategorier

Annan elektroteknik och elektronik

Chalmers MC2 A423 Kollektorn

Opponent: Assoc. Prof Per Lundgren, BioNano Systems Laboratory, MC2, Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden

Mer information

Skapat

2017-10-06