Develop a high-Q oscillator for millimeter-wave applications

SOLID-STATE oscillators are the signal sources of virtually all modern microwave and millimeter-wave systems, The stability of the oscillator is critical, since it can determine the overall performance of the system. Traditionally, the stability of uncompensated Gunn diode oscillators (approximately 10(-4)) has been poor compared to crystal-stabilized oscillators and, due to its frequency variations, the Gunn oscillator has been limited in its breadth of applications. Some measures, such as the use of phase-locked loops (PLLs), have improved the stability of Gunn diode oscillators, but with added cost and complexity. In comparison, the use of high-quality-factor (high-Q) resonant elements can help stabilize the output frequency of a Gunn oscillator while maintaining simplicity and low cost.