Delayed secondary avalanche effects in millimeter wave GaAs IMPATT diodes

A simulation of the large signal operation of GaAs millimeter wave IMPATTs shows that a high peak current density of electrons (often in excess of 25KA/cm
²
) will lead to a delayed secondary avalanche (DSA) in the drift zone. These DSA effects have been simulated and correlated with experimental observations and are a determining factor in achieving high power and high efficiency in GaAs IMPATTs at 40 GHz and above.