Demonstration of a 77-GHz heterojunction bipolar transferred electron device

Abstract

We demonstrate for the first time a heterojunction bipolar transferred electron device (HBTED), a device with a bipolar transistor-like structure in which Gunn oscillations occur. The use of a graded doping profile in the collector region is, we believe, a key factor in the device design. AlGaAs/GaAs HBTED's fabricated on semi-insulating GaAs substrates exhibit free-running oscillations at a frequency of around 77 GHz. The third (emitter) terminal enables this device to be injection-locked and to function as a self-oscillating mixer.