Avalanche Diode Noise Sources at Short Centimeter and Millimeter Wavelengths (Short Papers)

Semiconductor noise sources for microwave frequencies have been constructed using commercial avalanche diodes in waveguide mounts. For the diodes and waveguide configurations reported here the upper usable frequency is approximately 40 GHz. The measurements are in limited agreement with previous predictions. It is possible that a reduction in package and diode parasitic would improve this agreement, and raise appreciably the upper usable frequency of such noise sources.