Reliability Analysis of GaAs-PIN Limiter Under Ultra-Wideband Pulse Radiation

With the increasing complexity of electromagnetic environments, receivers demand higher reliability from their internal components. To enhance the survivability of receivers, limiter circuits are commonly inserted at the backend of antennas to mitigate the damage caused by high-power interference pulses to subsequent sensitive components. The reliability of limiter circuits determines the stable operation of sensitive components at the backend, which holds significant implications for the overall reliability and robustness of navigation receivers. Given that Ultra-Wideband (UWB) pulse’s temporal characteristics typically last on the order of sub-nanoseconds, they can substantially influence the performance of limiter circuits. This study employs UWB-EMP as the interfering pulse to investigate the failure process and mechanism of the core device, GaAs-PIN diode, within the PIN limiter under UWB pulse exposure. Simulation results indicate that the failure of the diode’s conductivity modulation effect under UWB pulse exposure leads to the incapacity of the PIN limiter to function properly. Furthermore, the generation of multiple oscillatory pulses post-pulse exposure exacerbates the performance degradation of the PIN limiter. Experimental validations conducted via injection corroborate the simulation outcomes, demonstrating the impact of failure mechanisms and varying degrees of failure on normal signals within the PIN limiter.