Planar MESFET grid oscillators using gate feedback

Author

Weikle, Robert M. ; Kim, Moonil ; Hacker, Jonathan B. ; De Lisio, Michael P. ; Rutledge, David B.

Author_Institution

Dept. of Appl. Electron Phys., Chalmers Univ. of Technol., Gothenborg, Sweden

Volume

40

Issue

11

fYear

1992

fDate

11/1/1992 12:00:00 AM

Firstpage

1997

Lastpage

2003

Abstract

A method for quasi-optically combining the output power of MESFETs in which drain and source leads couple directly to the radiated field is introduced. The design consists of a planar grid of devices placed in a Fabry-Perot cavity. Capacitive feedback is provided to the gate, allowing oscillation at much higher frequencies than previous grids. The oscillation frequency is dependent on the device characteristics, the resonator cavity, and the symmetries of the grid. A transmission-line model for the grid is discussed and used to design two oscillator arrays. A 16-element grid has produced 335 mW of power at 11.6 GHz with a DC-to-RF conversion efficiency of 20%. This design was scaled to produce a 36-element grid oscillator with output power of 235 mW at 17 GHz. These results represent a significant improvement in the performance of planar grid oscillators. The planar configuration of the grid is very convenient for monolithic integration and is easily scalable to millimeter-wave frequencies

Keywords

Schottky gate field effect transistors; cavity resonators; equivalent circuits; feedback; microwave oscillators; solid-state microwave circuits; 11.6 GHz; 17 GHz; 20 percent; 235 mW; 335 mW; DC-to-RF conversion efficiency; Fabry-Perot cavity; MESFET; SHF; gate feedback; oscillation frequency; oscillator arrays; planar grid; planar grid oscillators; quasi-optically combining; resonator cavity; transmission-line model; Computer hacking; Feedback; Frequency; MESFETs; Microwave devices; Millimeter wave technology; Millimeter wave transistors; Oscillators; Power generation; Solid state circuits;

fLanguage

English

Journal_Title

Microwave Theory and Techniques, IEEE Transactions on

Publisher

ieee

ISSN

0018-9480

Type

jour

DOI

10.1109/22.168756

Filename

168756