A 3.5-THz, 6-Harmonic, Single-Ended Schottky Diode Mixer for Frequency Stabilization of Quantum-Cascade Lasers

Abstract

Efficient and compact frequency converters are essential for frequency stabilization of terahertz sources. In this paper, we present a 3.5-THz, 6-harmonic, integrated Schottky diode mixer operating at room temperature. The designed frequency converter is based on a single-ended, planar Schottky diode with a sub-micron anode contact area defined on a suspended 2-m ultra-thin GaAs substrate. The dc-grounded anode pad with the radio frequency E-plane probe resulted in an electrically compact circuit. At 200 MHz intermediate frequency, a mixer conversion loss of about 59 dB is measured resulting in a 40 dB signal-to-noise ratio for phase locking a 3.5-THz quantum-cascade laser. Using a quasi-static diode model combined with electromagnetic simulations, good agreement with the measured results was obtained. Harmonic frequency converters without the need of cryogenic cooling will help in the realization of highly sensitive space and air-borne heterodyne receivers.