A High-Speed Wideband L-Band Tunnel Diode Frequency Deviator

An L-band tunnel diode frequency deviator which can be tuned over an octave bandwidth by a 160-millivolt change in input voltage is described. By using a nonreactive input circuit, a low-frequency prototype deviator has been tuned over a 50-percent frequency range in less than one RF cycle and an L-band deviator has had its frequency shifted and returned to its original value so that the output phase was shifted by ±90 degrees in 4.25 ± 0.25 cycles (3.27 ns).