A 325-GHz Balanced Frequency Tripler Based on Novel Three-Port E-Probe With Individual Groundings for RF and DC

This letter reports a balanced frequency tripler with novel configuration based on Schottky diodes featuring great conversion efficiency. A novel three-port E-probe has been proposed to achieve virtual grounding for radio frequency (RF) signals and perfect grounding for dc. As a result, this architecture could provide inherent suppressions on even-order harmonics even without the lossy on-chip capacitor necessary in conventional balanced approaches. An example of the frequency tripler, operating up to 330 GHz, has been demonstrated based on this configuration. At room temperature, the fabricated circuit exhibits an 8% 3-dB bandwidth and
$\sim 14.17$
% peak conversion efficiency (at 325.8 GHz) for a driven power of 125 mW. At the same time, this module could deliver maximum power over 18 mW with the maximum input power level.