P-i-N and Schottky P-i-N diamond diodes for high power limiters

Abstract

P-i-N and Schottky P-i-N diamond diodes are a promising technology for high-power limiters. Receivers, solid-state amplifiers, and detectors commonly use P-i-N and/or Schottky diodes for protection from high power incident signals. Here, we report on the RF power handling and power dissipation capability of diamond P-i-N and Schottky P-i-N diodes. We fabricate P-i-N diodes as vertical structures, with both majority and minority carriers involved in charge transport. Similarly, we fabricate vertical Schottky P-i-N diodes, with the doping in the n-layer reduced compared to P-i-N diodes such that the n-layer becomes fully depleted during operation, resulting in a majority-carrier device with a fast recovery time. Both P-i-N and Schottky P-i-N diodes were packaged in shunt-configuration and matched for 3 GHz operation, with a small signal insertion loss of ∼1.25 dB. P-i-N diodes operated up to 40 dBm before failing nondestructively at 45 dBm, demonstrating power dissipation handling that exceeds that of commercially available Si P-i-N diodes by more than a factor of five. Schottky P-i-N diodes operated up to 49 dBm before non-recoverable failure at 50 dBm.