Modeling of micro-Barkhausen-Kurz devices for terahertz applications
Abstract/Contents
- Abstract
- Terahertz frequency band from 300GHz - 3THz has started to gain a fair amount of attention from researchers in the recent past, and several rich potential applications have been identified as a result. As research in this space advances, the number of applications utilizing this frequency band is likely to grow. The lack of appropriate sources is the primary reason that prevents applications in this spectral region from being widely realized. Hence, it is imperative that a highly efficient source of terahertz radiation is identified which can cater to the growing number of applications in this space. The first section of this research explores the limitations of traditional devices to generate terahertz frequency. Traditional CMOS sources start to run out of steam as they are pushed to higher frequencies. The research shows that Moore's law that has governed the scaling of these devices for nearly 50 years is not expected to help bridge this gap. Optical sources have their niche in the infra-red region and above but so far, these technologies have not yielded a compact, room temperature source in the terahertz region. Although vacuum based electron devices exist and span a very wide range from kHz through several THz, their development has been impeded by the lack of efficient CAD tools. This research examines a vacuum based electron device aka Barkhausen-Kurz oscillator as an appropriate source in the terahertz frequency range. In this device, the electrons undergo simple harmonic motion in an ideally parabolic field. With each pass through the device, the electrons lose energy to an appropriately phased RF field. Multiple electron transits allow for high efficiency in DC-to-RF conversion. This research uses theoretical derivations to illustrate the applicability of the Barkhausen-Kurz oscillator as a terahertz source and also highlights the efficiency, and maximum power that can be achieved through it. In addition, this research also shows the usability of the device at odd harmonics of the electron orbital frequency. A key contribution of this research is the development of a particle in cell code from ground up, to cater to the physics of Barkhausen-Kurz oscillator device. The later half of this thesis focuses on numerical validation of the theoretical derivations by simulating the device with this code. Several simulations have been run to qualitatively and quantitatively assess the theoretical derivations, and reconfirm the efficiency that can be achieved through this device in generating terahertz radiation. This particle-in-cell code is expected to bridge the gap that currently exists with respect to the easy availability and accessibility of CAD tools required to develop vacuum based electronic devices.
Description
| Type of resource | text |
|---|---|
| Form | electronic; electronic resource; remote |
| Extent | 1 online resource. |
| Publication date | 2015 |
| Issuance | monographic |
| Language | English |
Creators/Contributors
| Associated with | Dixit, Anand |
|---|---|
| Associated with | Stanford University, Department of Electrical Engineering. |
| Primary advisor | Lee, Thomas |
| Thesis advisor | Lee, Thomas |
| Thesis advisor | Miller, D. A. B |
| Thesis advisor | Wong, S |
| Advisor | Miller, D. A. B |
| Advisor | Wong, S |
Subjects
| Genre | Theses |
|---|
Bibliographic information
| Statement of responsibility | Anand Dixit. |
|---|---|
| Note | Submitted to the Department of Electrical Engineering. |
| Thesis | Thesis (Ph.D.)--Stanford University, 2015. |
| Location | electronic resource |
Access conditions
- Copyright
- © 2015 by Anand Dixit
- License
- This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial 3.0 Unported license (CC BY-NC).
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