High-performance antimonide-based heterostructure backward diodes for millimeter-wave detection

Small-area antimonide-based backward diodes for zero-bias millimeter-wave detection have been fabricated and tested. The devices were fabricated using high-resolution I-line stepper lithography, allowing accurate control of the small device active area required for operation at W-band. The devices exhibit excellent measured performance from 1-110 GHz, with responsivities when driven from a 50-Omega source of 254 0 V/W at 95 GHz. This translates to a projected responsivity of 11.5 x 10(3) V/W at 95 GHz for a conjugately matched detector. The compression characteristics of the detectors have been measured, with 1.2 dB of responsivity compression for,an input power of 8 muW.