IMPATT Diode

( Impact Ionization Avalanche

Transit Time )

Pravin Prajapati

Avalanche Transit Time Devices

It is possible to make a microwave diode
exhibits negative resistance by having a delay
between voltage & current in an avalanche
together
with transit time through the material.
Such devices are called Avalanche transit time
devices.
They use carrier impact ionization and drift in the
High field Region of a semiconductor junction to
produce negative resistance at Microwave freq.

IMPATT diode schematic

IMPATT diode schematic

Construction of IMPATT diode

Types of IMPATT diode and doping

profiles

V
400 KV

DC applied
+ RF
voltage

Avalanche
threshold

90 90
I

Current pulse max when v = 0

Current
pulse

Current pulse
At cathode when V = -max

t
Current pulse drifts to
cathode

V and I vs at t characteristics.

Operations
The junction being between the p+ and n layers.
An high voltage gradient is applied to the impatt
diode eventually resulting in a very high current.
Such a high potential gradient back biasing the
Diode causes a flow of minority carriers across the
Junction.
Let us consider application of a RF ac voltage
superimposed on top of the high dc voltage.
Increased velocity of electrons and holes result in
additional electrons and holes by knocking them
out of of the crystal structure by so called impact
ionization.

These additional carriers continue the process at the

Junctions and it now snowballs into an avalanche.
If the original dc field was just at the threshold of
allowing this situation to develop, this voltage will
be exceeded during the whole of the RF +ve cycle
and the avalanche current multiplication will be
taking place during this entire time.

Since it is not instantaneous.

This process in fact takes a time such that that the
current pulse max at the junction occurs at the
instant when RF voltage across the diode is zero and
going negative

A 90 degree phase shift or phase difference between

voltage and current has then been achieved.
Current pulse does not stay there but moves towards
the cathode due to applied reverse bias a drift
velocity dependent on the presence of high dc field.
The time taken by the pulse to reach the cathode
depends on this velocity and on the thickness of the
highly doped n+ layer.

The thickness is adjusted such that , the time

taken for current pulse to move from V=0 position
to V=negative max of RF cycle is exactly
90 degree.

Hence voltage and current are 180 degree out of

phase and dynamic RF negative resistance has
been proved to exist.

Performance characteristics
Theoritical n = 30% and
15% for Si
23% for GaAs
Freq :- 1 to 300 GHz

Max o/p power for single diode :5 W in X band to 0.5 W at 30 Ghz

Several dioodes combined :- 40 W at X band
Pulsed powers = 4 kw.

Disadvantage of IMPATT diode

It is very noisy because avalanche is a noisy
Process.
Noise figure for IMPATT being 30 dB are not
As klystron/gunn doide/TWT amplifier.

Also, tuning range is not as good as gunn diodes.

Application of IMPATT diode

This diodes are used as microwave oscillators
such as (i) microwave generators (ii) modulated
Output oscillators (iii) receiver local oscillators
And (iv) par amp pumps.
Negative resistance amplification.
High Q impatts are used in alarm n/w, police
Radar and low power microwave transmitter
Whereas low Q impatts are useful in FM
Telecommunication transmitters and cw dopper
radar transmitter.

The resonant frequency of impatt diode is

given by
f = Vd / 2L
Vd= Carrier drift velocity
L= Length of drift space charge region

The efficiency n of impatt diode is given by :n = ( Pac/Pdc ) = Va/vd (Ia/Id)

Va and Ia are AC voltage and current
Vd and Id are DC voltage and current

Noise generator

source

High power IMPATT diode

THANK YOU