Gunn and Impatt Amplifiers for Communications Systems

This paper discusses the use of negative resistance Gunn and IMPATT diodes in amplifier circuits. The operation of these diodes, their characteristics, design of circuits using them, and performance of these circuits is presented. The performance characteristics of these amplifiers pertinent to their use in frequency and phase modulated communications systems is discussed. Topics of discussion include: power output, gain, bandwidth, noise, phase linearity, AM to PM conversion, and intermodulation products.