High Power 10-18 GHz Monolithic Limiter Based on GaAs p-i-n Technology

Herein, based on a rounded rectangle p-i-n diode with the minimum radius allowed by the process and a 0.8-mu m thick I-layer, a high-power wideband monolithic limiter was realized by using GaAs p-i-n process. At 16 GHz, the maximum handling power of the monolithic limiter is up to 400 W (56 dBm), while the output power is less than 45 mW (16.5 dBm). Meantime, the insertion loss of the limiter is less than 0.55 dB and the return loss is better than -15 dB in the frequency range of 10-18 GHz, which has little effect on the signal of the receiver. It demonstrates that the limiter has a significant potential in high-frequency and high-power phased-array radars and communication systems.