Topic : Introduction, Read Diode

Unit II : Avalanche Transit Time Devices

Date & Time : 16/08/2021 & 09:00 AM–09:50 AM

Mr. Ravi Kiran B

Assistant Professor
Department of EECE
GITAM Institute of Technology(GIT)
Visakhapatnam-530045
Email: rbalasa@gitam.edu
Introduction :
. Avalanche transit time diode oscillators depend on the effect of voltage breakdown across a reverse biased

p-n junction to produce a supply of holes and electrons

. TED’s operate by the application of a dc voltage to a bulk semiconductor

. TED’s have no p-n junction devices

. Its frequency is a function of the load & of the natural frequency of the circuit

. Avalanche diode oscillator uses carrier impact ionization and drift in the high field region of a semiconductor

junction to produce a –ve resistance at microwave frequencies

08/18/2021 Department of EECE,GIT EEC403,Microwave Engineering

. Avalanche Transit Time devices are of 3 types :
(i) IMPATT Diode- Impact Ionization Avalanche Transit Time Diode

(ii) TRAPATT Diode- Trapped Plasma Avalanche Triggered Transit Diode

(iii) BARITT Diode – Barrier Injected Transit Time Diode

Read Diode :

. The basic principle of the IMPATT diode is understood from the first proposed avalanche diode , the Read Diode
. Read Diode was proposed by Read in the year 1958

. It is a n+-p-i-p+ structure

. + sign denotes very high doping

. ‘i’ refers to Intrinsic material

. The device consists of 2 regions

. One is the thin p-region at which avalanche multiplication occurs

08/18/2021 Department of EECE,GIT EEC403,Microwave Engineering

. This region is called high field/avalanche region

. The other is the intrinsic(i) region through which the generated holes must drift

in moving to the p+ contact

. This region is named as Intrinsic region or Drift region

. The p-region is very thin

. The space between n+-p junction & i-p+ junction is called the Space charge region

. The Read diode oscillator consists of a n +-p-i-p+ diode in reverse bias & mounted in a microwave cavity

. The impedance of the cavity is mainly inductive & is matched to the capacitive impedance of the diode to form a resonant circuit

. It produces a –ve a.c resistance that in turn delivers power from the d.c bias to the oscillation

. Transit time of a hole across the drift i-region L is given by,

T = L/vd

08/18/2021 Department of EECE,GIT EEC403,Microwave Engineering

 Fig : Read Diode

08/18/2021 Department of EECE,GIT EEC403,Microwave Engineering

. Avalanche multiplication factor is given by,

where,

V Applied voltage

Vb  Avalanche breakdown voltage

n  Numerical factor depending on the doping of p+-n or n+-p junction

Usually in the range of 3-6 for Si

. Breakdown voltage for a Si p+-n junction is given by,

where,
Emax  Maximum breakdown of the electric field
µn  Electron mobility
€s  Semiconductor Permittivity

08/18/2021 Department of EECE,GIT EEC403,Microwave Engineering

 Fig : Field , Voltage and Currents in Read Diode

08/18/2021 Department of EECE,GIT EEC403,Microwave Engineering

. When the holes generated at the n+-p junction drift through the space charge region,
they cause a reduction in field in accordance with Poisson’s equation

. As the drift velocity of the holes in the space-charge region is constant, the induced current I e(t) is equal to,

where,

Q  Total charge of the moving holes

vd  Hole drift velocity

L  Length of the drift ‘i’ region

08/18/2021 Department of EECE,GIT EEC403,Microwave Engineering

. As the carrier current Io(t) is delayed by 90o relative to the a.c voltage, the external

current Ie(t) is then delayed by 180o relative to the voltage

. Therefore, the cavity should be tuned to give a resonant frequency of,

. Since the applied a.c voltage and external current Ie(t) are out of phase by 180o, negative conductance occurs and the

Read diode can be used for microwave amplification and oscillation

. As the Read diode supplies a.c energy, it has a –ve Q in contrast to the +ve Q of the cavity

08/18/2021 Department of EECE,GIT EEC403,Microwave Engineering