Broad-band high-speed microwave power sensor using hot carriers in semiconductor

The principal characteristics of a semiconductor power sensor based upon the temperature rise of hot carriers are investigated. A method of designing a broad-band coaxial mount is described. The hot-carrier power sensor is fabricated by a whisker contact to p-type germanium. A sensor using optimum resistivity results in a noise equivalent power of -58 dBm/Hz
^1/2
with a 60-dB dynamic range. A broad-band-matched mount, having an average VSWR of 1.1:1 was attained for the frequency range from 1 to 12 GHz.