Step-Recovery Diode Pulse Generators for Time-Domain Microwave Breast Screening

Abstract

The main motivational factor of the here-reported work is the circuitry required for microwave-range operation of a time-domain breast screening prototype. A sub-nanosecond impulse generator was fabricated and evaluated for generation of 2-4GHz impulses for the initial device prototype. The circuit consists of shunt and series cascaded step-recovery diodes. The measured pulses have a full-width half-maximum (FWHM) of 95ps and peak amplitude of 280mV.