Theory of traveling-wave transistors

A distributed FET is treated as a problem of coupled active transmission lines over which the traveling waves grow by interaction. Models and equivalent circuits are proposed for evaluation of line parameters and propagation constants. Our calculations show that: 1) the gain increases with transistor width (or length of transmission line) up to about 2 cm, 2) at 15 GHz, a gain of 9 dB is achievable, and 3) the 3-dB bandwidth could be as large as 15 GHz. Possible applications of both types of traveling-wave transistors, unipolar and bipolar are discussed.

[1]  G. W. McIver,et al.  A traveling-wave transistor , 1965 .

[2]  Claude L. Bertin,et al.  Transmission-Line Response Using Frequency Techniques , 1964, IBM J. Res. Dev..

[3]  E. Kopp.  A coupled mode analysis of the traveling-wave transistor , 1966 .

[4]  J.D. Noe,et al.  Distributed Amplifiers: Practical Considerations and Experimental Results , 1950, Proceedings of the IRE.

[5]  W. Jutzi.  Uniform distributed amplifier analysis with fast and slow waves , 1968 .

[6]  W.R. Hewlett,et al.  Distributed Amplification , 1948, Proceedings of the IRE.

[7]  I. Bahl,et al.  Characteristics of Coupled Microstriplines , 1979 .

[8]  W. R. Wisseman,et al.  GaAs Power MESFET's: Design, Fabrication, and Performance , 1979 .

[9]  Ling Y. Wei.  A new theory of nerve conduction , 1966, IEEE Spectrum.

[10]  R. Landauer,et al.  Distributed field-effect amplifiers , 1968 .

[11]  H. A. Wheeler.  Transmission-Line Properties of a Strip on a Dielectric Sheet on a Plane , 1977 .

[12]  H. Suzuki,et al.  GaAs microwave power FET , 1976, IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices.

[13]  W. Jutzi,et al.  A MESFET distributed amplifier with 2 GHz bandwidth , 1969 .

[14]  R. B. Gold,et al.  The Matched Feedback Amplifier: Ultrawide-Band Microwave Amplification with GaAs MESFET's , 1980 .

[15]  J. Pierce,et al.  Traveling-Wave Tubes , 1947, Proceedings of the IRE.

[16]  P. Wolf,et al.  Microwave properties of Schottky-barrier field-effect transistors , 1970 .

[17]  R. H. Dean,et al.  The GaAs traveling-wave amplifier as a new kind of microwave transistor , 1972 .

[18]  G. Kino,et al.  Two-port microwave amplification in long samples of gallium arsenide , 1967 .

[19]  R. Kompfner,et al.  The Traveling-Wave Tube as Amplifier at Microwaves , 1947, Proceedings of the IRE.