Small-signal theory of subterahertz overmoded surface wave oscillator with distributed wall loss

A small-signal theory of the overmoded surface wave oscillator (SWO) with distributed wall loss is presented in this letter. The wall loss considered here includes the surface resistance and surface roughness. The cold and hot characteristics of 0.14 THz SWO are studied by the small-signal theory. Numerical results show that as the increase of wall loss, the working frequency decreases slightly, the rise time and startup time of oscillation increase significantly, and the output power decreases dramatically. Particle-in-cell (PIC) simulation confirms the prediction by the small-signal theory.