Performance of W-InSb Metal-Semiconductor Point-Contact Diodes as Detectors and Mixers in the Near Infrared

Metal-Insulator-Metal (MIM) and Schottky-barrier diodes have been used extensively in the past years as harmonic generators and mixers for frequency measurements in the spectral range from the far-infrared to the visible. MIM diodes present a very low fabrication cost and are easy to handle, while Schottky diodes are mechanically more stable and long-lived. In the present work we discuss the performance of a metal-semiconductor point-contact diode for the radiation around 1 m. This device, which may be viewed as a hybrid between a MIM and a Schottky diode, combines the simplicity and easiness of fabrication of the MIM diode with the stability and the long contact life typical of the Schottky diode. It proved to be very efficient even for visible light.