Entwurf und Realisierung neuartiger Schaltungskonzepte mit Resonanztunneldioden (English shop)

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Electronic devices based on quantum-mechanical operating principles offer promising application potential for use in telecommunications. Through consistent miniaturisation, conventional integrated devices are advancing into physical regimes in which quantum-physical effects such as tunnelling through energetic barriers are becoming increasingly significant.

The resonant tunnelling diode is the focus of the investigations in this work. The physical fundamentals of quantum-mechanical tunnelling through an InGaAs/InAlAs double-barrier structure are described in detail, and the analytical modelling of the semiconductor device for circuit simulations with CAD programs is derived.

The scientific investigations comprise the experimental characterisation of the small-signal parameters of the device from room temperature down to cryogenic temperatures by means of high-frequency measurements on a modified scattering-parameter measurement setup. Linear and non-linear transmission behaviour is investigated using a wide range of measurement instruments and compared with the theoretically calculated values. In particular, a new measurement technique is introduced that permits an experimental determination of the equivalent-circuit elements with considerably higher accuracy than has previously been possible with conventional techniques. Based on the results, an area-scaled large-signal model for CAD applications is developed that describes all occurring non-linear effects.

The second part of the work demonstrates possible circuit applications of the devices on the basis of the developed CAD models, focusing in particular on the generation of fast pulses for Ultra-Wideband (UWB) communication, which is used for wireless telecommunication in the range between 3 and 10 GHz. New circuit concepts are presented that provide, with only a few components, full functionality for pulse generation and modulation at arbitrary pulse repetition rates and pulse widths in the sub-nanosecond range. In the course of the experimental verification of the theoretical results, data rates of up to 13.2 Gbit/s were successfully demonstrated with the fabricated pulse generator, and the potential for even higher frequencies was shown.