Quasi-optical power-combining arrays

Semiconductor devices have limited power handling capabilities at high frequencies, particularly at millimeter-wave frequencies. A method is presented for overcoming this problem by combining the outputs of several devices quasi-optically in a resonator cavity. This method has been applied to a number of solid-state devices, including Gunn diodes and MESFETs. The devices do not require an external locking signal because they lock to a mode of the resonator cavity. Effective radiated powers of 22 W for a 4*4 array of Gunn diodes and 25 W for a 10*10 array of MESFETs have been achieved.<
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