High Reliability Gallium Arsenide Schottky Diodes for Space Application

Abstract

We describe here the manufacturing process and the reliability tests adopted for gallium arsenide Schottky diodes designed for a space programm (TDRSS programm). Due to a new epitaxial process and a multilayer type contact, it has been possible to minimize the parasitic resistance and to obtain noise figures of 6.6 dB max. for wide band mixers operating in the range 14. 14.5 GHz, together with a high reliability level which has been demonstrated by the qualification tests.