Heterodyne millimeter and submillimeter wave receivers presently use whisker-contacted Schottky barrier diodes for the best possible sensitivity. However, planar Schottky diodes from this laboratory and others are beginning to be utilized at the lower frequencies (100- 283 GHz) with excellent results ?1,2!. This work will ultimately lead to the development of reliable millimeter wave integrated circuits and planar antenna arrays. Optimization of the device structure will move the operating frequency into the submillimeter range. Cooperative NSF sponsored research over the past 3 years between the University of Virginia and Fort Monmouth ETDL has resulted in the design and fabrication of whiskerless diodes with excellent DC and RF characteristics. This objective of the proposed research is to continue work on the whiskerless diode for mixer and varactor applications at signal frequencies at and above 100 GHz.
