Characteristics of metal-insulator-metal diodes as generators of far-infrared radiation

Characteristics of metal-insulator-metal (MIM) diodes which are used as mixer-generators of far-infrared (FIR) radiation have been investigated for nine different diode base metals. It was found that a W-Fe diode works as effectively as a W-Co diode in generating tunable FIR radiation by mixing two CO/sub 2/ lasers and microwave radiation. The bias dependences of W-Ni, W-Co, and W-Fe MIM diodes have also been examined. Observed bias results can be predicted by analyzing their current-voltage characteristics.