Structure dependence of oscillation characteristics of resonant-tunneling-diode terahertz oscillators associated with intrinsic and extrinsic delay times

Abstract

We investigate the effect of intrinsic and extrinsic delay times on the oscillation characteristics of resonant-tunneling-diode (RTD) terahertz oscillators. The intrinsic delay time is composed of the electron dwell time in the resonant tunneling region and the electron transit time in the collector depletion region. We obtain and discuss the structure dependence of these factors in terms of the oscillation frequency and output power measured for RTD oscillators with different quantum-well and collector-spacer thicknesses and different air-bridge widths between the RTD and a slot antenna. The highest oscillation frequency achieved in this experiment is 1.86 THz for the well and spacer thicknesses of 2.5 and 12 nm, respectively, with a 1-µm-wide air bridge. In this structure, the extrinsic delay time (80 fs) estimated from the parasitic elements is more than double the intrinsic delay time (35 fs). It is shown theoretically that an oscillation frequency of over 2 THz is possible upon the reduction in the extrinsic delay time caused by the bulk and spread resistances in RTDs.