Full-Wave Analysis of Quasi-Steady Propagation along Transmission Lines Periodically Loaded with Resonant Tunneling Diodes

Abstract

The full-wave characterization of wave propagation on a transmission line periodically loaded with resonant tunneling diodes (RTDs) is discussed for the generation of ultrashort electrical pulses. Once the input pulse crosses the peak voltage of loaded RTDs, the exponential wave is developed at voltages smaller than the peak voltage, and the ordinary sinusoidal one is coupled to it at voltages larger than the peak voltage. The wave number of this exponential wave must be much larger than those of the waves forming the input pulse, so that significant compression of the pulse width is achieved. After discussing the model of RTDs in the framework of finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method, we demonstrate the pulse compression through FDTD calculations.