A 10-14 GHz quenchable MMIC oscillator

A wideband negative-resistance MMIC (monolithic microwave integrated circuit) oscillator chip has been designed and tested for fast switching DRO (dielectric resonator oscillator) and VCO (voltage-controlled oscillator) applications. This MMIC has an on-chip quench circuit which allows for very fast switching of the oscillator without affecting the active device bias. The MMIC, which also has an on-chip resistive heater section located in close proximity to the active device, minimizes frequency drift due to temperature variations. The switching performance was measured with the chip configured as a DRO; its frequency settled within 0.6 MHz of the final frequency in only 0.5 mu s. This MMIC configured as a VCO achieved wideband tuning from 10 to 14 GHz.<
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