Submillimeter wave GaAs Schottky diode application based study and optimization for 0.1-1.5 THz

In this paper, a design and optimization method for submillimeter-wave Schottky diode is proposed. Parasitic capacitance is significantly reduced to under 20% of the total capacitance of the diode. The parasitic capacitance value is measured to be 0.6 fF for 1 μm anode radius which increased the cut-off frequency to 1.5 THz. A corresponding microfabrication process that provides higher degrees of freedom for the anode diameter, air-bridge dimensions and distance to the substrate is introduced and implemented. The DC and RF measurements are provided and compared with the simulations. In order to provide a better understanding of the diode behavior, the limiting factors of the cut-off frequency for different applications are studied and compared. For the mixer/multiplier mode, an improved and expanded formulation for calculation of the cut-off frequency is introduced. It is shown that the usable voltage bias range (with acceptable cut-off frequency) is limited by the exponential reduction of junction resistance, Rj, in mixer/multiplier mode.