Tunnel-diode converter analysis

Abstract

An analysis of tunnel-diode converters is presented for two different conditions of operation. In the first, the converter is self-oscillating; in the second, the local oscillator (LO) voltage is provided from an external source. Two classes of self-oscillating converters are presented. The first operates on the fundamental of the oscillation frequency and the other operates on the second harmonic. Assuming the dynamic conductance of a tunnel diode changes only as a function of the local oscillator voltage, and expressing this conductance in a Fourier series, a 3 × 3 conductance matrix is obtained. Utilizing this matrix, expressions for gain, bandwidth, and noise figure are obtained. The analysis includes the image frequency termination. In the expressions for noise figure, the cross-correlation terms, produced by the amplitude change of the dc equivalent shot-noise current due to the LO voltage, are also included.