SILICON CRYOSAR AT MICROWAVE-FREQUENCIES

Microwave and low-frequency measurements are reported on n+-v-n+ silicon cryosars fabricated with narrow intrinsic region widths. The low-frequency measurements include V-I data with and without incident microwave power. The electric field required to cause impact ionization of the donors was found to be greater than 105 V/m. The microwave measurements include a demonstration of mixing, harmonic mixing, and harmonic generation. Small-signal impedance measurements as a function of bias are reported at 1.33 and 3.05 GHz, and the diode noise temperature was measured to be 16 000 or 3000 K depending on bias polarity. Mobile electron lifetime is 10–10 s. Copyright © 1979 by The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc.