A planar varactor diode for harmonic generation at gigahertz frequencies

The authors present the development of a planar varactor diode to eliminate whisker contact and thereby create a local oscillator power source for high-frequency, space-based heterodyne receivers. Specifically, the design and fabrication of a planar GaAs varactor diode for use as a 75-GHz-to-225-GHz tripler are described. It is concluded that the excellent electrical characteristics and ruggedness of the planar varactor diodes described here make them ideally suited for use in space-based systems.<
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