Design and performances of maximum-efficiency single- and double-drift-region GaAs IMPATT diodes in the 3–18-GHz frequency range

The purpose of this paper is to give the main conclusions of a theoretical study on high-efficiency GaAs IMPATT diodes. First, we intend to choose the best structure to achieve these high efficiencies (HL or LHL doping profile). Then, for this structure, we define the optimum parameters (widths, impurity-concentration values, slope of the transit zone profile) and the optimum operating conditions, allowing us to obtain the maximum efficiency which can be expected for single- and double-drift-region diodes in the 3–18-GHz frequency range. A comparison with the best experimental results for single-drift region structures (HL junction, LHL junction, HL barrier, LHL barrier) corroborates our theoretical predictions.