Superlattice Electronic Devices as High-Performance Millimeter- and Submillimeter-Wave Sources: Current Status

GaAs/AlAs superlattices were grown by molecular-beam epitaxy to study how thermal management and circuit parameters affect the performance of these structures when used as negative differential resistance devices. The fabrication process was adopted from that of GaAs tunnel injection transit-time diodes. The devices were evaluated between 60-270 GHz. RF power levels >70 mW with DC-to-RF conversion efficiencies >4% and >10 mW were measured at around 62 GHz and 130 GHz, respectively. These results demonstrate the potential of these devices as continuous-wave terahertz sources.