A low-noise X-band Esaki-diode amplifier

ESAKI-DIODE microwave amplifiers are attractive because of their simplicity, compactness and low-power requirements. A cavity amplifier operating in the X band has been reported1, but its frequency could not be readily tuned and it was difficult to couple the external circuit strongly enough to the cavity structure. This paper will describe a waveguide amplifier, whose gain and operating frequency can be adjusted more easily, and point out some of the problems which arise in the design of such an amplifier.