Analysis of p-type InP IMPATTs driven by nonsinusoidal waveforms

A special waveform is proposed and assumed to be the optimum waveform for p-type InP IMPATT´s. This waveform is deduced after the careful and extensive study of the performance of these devices. The results indicate the superiority of the performance of the IMPATTs driven by the proposed waveform over that obtained when the same IMPATTs are driven by the conventional sinusoidal waveform. These results are obtained using a full-scale computer simulation program that takes fully into account all the physical effects pertinent to IMPATT operation. The superiority of the proposed waveform is attributed to: first, its ability to reduce the bad effects that usually degrade the IMPATT performance such as the space-charge effect and the drift-velocity dropping below saturation effect; and second, the ability of the proposed waveform to improve the phase relationship between the terminal voltage and the induced current.