Fabrication and Characterisation of GaAs Gunn Diode Chips for Applications at 77 GHz in Automotive Industry

GaAs-based Gunn diodes with graded AlGaAs hot electron injectorheterostructures have been developed under the special needs in automotive applications.The fabrication of the Gunn diode chips was based on total substrate removal andprocessing of integrated Au heat sinks. Especially, the thermal and RF behavior of thediodes have been analyzed by DC, impedance and S-parameter measurements. Theelectrical investigations have revealed the functionality of the hot electron injector. Anoptimized layer structure could fulfill the requirements in adaptive cruise control (ACC)systems at 77 GHz with typical output power between 50 and 90 mW