A computer study of power-limiter diode behavior

Abstract High frequency, large-signal behavior of a PIN -diode is studied on the basis of an exact numerical analysis of the one-dimensional device equations, including avalanche multiplication phenomena. Numerical methods are briefly described and discussion is made about their proper usage for obtaining correct solutions. A series of computation results will be presented about a shunt-diode limiter of an X-band frequency range. Diode voltage- and current waveforms will be observed at various input-power levels, along with the underlying internal carrier dynamics. Endeavor is made to figure out mechanisms which are responsible for the power-limiting character of the diode. The numerical simulation is shown to provide, even with a simple circuit configuration, an identity to the experimental results of semi-quantitative order, verifying its utility as an aid for device design and fabrication.