Resonant tunneling diode oscillators for optical communications

Abstract

The ability to use resonant tunneling diodes (RTDs) as both transmitters and receivers is an emerging topic, especially with regards to wireless communications. Successful data transmission has been achieved using electronic RTDs with carrier frequencies exceeding 0.3 THz. Specific optical-based RTDs, which act as photodetectors, have been developed by adjusting the device structure to include a light absorption layer and small optical windows on top of the device to allow direct optical access. This also allows the optical signal to directly modulate the RTD oscillation. Both types of RTD oscillators will allow for seamless integration of high frequency radio and optical fiber networks.

Broken Symmetry Effects due to Polarization on Resonant Tunneling Transport in Double-Barrier Nitride Heterostructures

“…From this analysis, the total probability of transmission through the n-th resonant level can be expressed by the sum of the coherent and incoherent probabilities [45]: j ) partial widths [45]. Equation (6) reveals that phase-randomization events result in the attenuation of the resonant transmission peak by a factor of Γ e+i , and a concomitant broad-ening of the resonance linewidth [45 and 54]. Scattering processes include optical phonons [57], intrasubband and inter-subband transitions [33], and interface roughness scattering events [58].…”

“…The possibility of engineering transport dynamics, combined with their characteristic negative differential conductance (NDC), make RTDs attractive for manufacturing ultra-fast electronic oscillators [3][4][5]. With oscillation frequencies well inside the terahertz (THz) band, RTDs stand out as viable sources of THz radiation, employed in practical applications such as high data-rate communication networks and on-chip spectroscopy systems [6][7][8].…”

Resonant Tunneling Diode (RTD) Terahertz Active Transmission Line Oscillator with Graphene-Plasma Wave and Two Graphene Antennas

“…The N-shaped I-V characteristics [27,28] of RTDs provide electrical gain for THz oscillator at room temperature [14]. A RTD is realized via the creation of a double-barrier quantum well (DBQW) structure [26] comprising a narrow-bandgap material sandwiched between two thin slabs of a wide-bandgap material. However, the results of a theoretical analysis show that oscillator frequency and RTD size are negatively correlated [4].…”

“…where ω is the angular frequency. The characteristic impedance Z 0 is defined as [26] Z 0 = r + jωl g + jωc where ω is the angular frequency. The characteristic impedance Z0 is defined as [26] 0 r j l Z g j c…”

“…RTD requires two electrodes and oscillator requires an antenna. Refer to [2,3,10] and [26], it is common to apply a DC bias voltage to the antenna. In this study, the positive electrode of the DC power supply is modified and designed as an antenna.…”