High‐frequency AlGaN/GaN HFETs with fT/fmax of 149/263 GHz for D‐band PA applications. Issue 15 (1st July 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Lv, Yuanjie; Song, Xubo; Guo, Hongyu; Fang, Yulong; Feng, Zhihong
• Is Part Of: Electronics letters. Volume 52:Issue 15(2016)
• Page Start: 1340
• Page End: 1342
• Publication Date: 2016-07-01
• Subjects: aluminium compounds -- gallium compounds -- III‐V semiconductors -- wide band gap semiconductors -- high electron mobility transistors -- millimetre wave power amplifiers -- millimetre wave field effect transistors; high‐frequency HFET -- D‐band PA application -- scaled heterostructure field‐effect transistors -- high‐unity current gain cut‐off frequency -- maximum oscillation frequency -- silicon carbide substrate -- scaled source‐to‐drain distance -- nonalloyed regrown ohmic contacts -- T‐shaped HFET -- gate recess -- record extrinsic transconductance -- record‐high value -- D‐band power‐amplifier application -- distance 600 nm -- size 60 nm -- frequency 110 GHz to 170 GHz -- frequency 263 GHz -- AlGaN‐GaN; Electronics -- Periodicals; 621.381
• DOI: 10.1049/el.2016.1241
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0013-5194

Abstract

Abstract : Scaled AlGaN/GaN heterostructure field‐effect transistors (HFETs) with high unity current gain cut‐off frequency ( f T ) and maximum oscillation frequency (f max ) were fabricated and characterised on SiC substrate. In the device, scaled source‐to‐drain distance ( L sd ) of 600 nm was realised by employing non‐alloyed regrown n + ‐GaN ohmic contacts. A 60 nm T‐shaped AlGaN/GaN HFETs showed excellent DC and RF performance after gate recess. A record extrinsic transconductance ( g m ) of 764 mS/mm was obtained in the AlGaN/GaN HFETs. Moreover, the maximum f T and f max of the fabricated device reach to 149 and 263 GHz at the same bias, exhibiting a record‐high value of f T * f max . This indicates that the AlGaN/GaN HFETs still have the potential for D‐band (110–170 GHz) power‐amplifier application with further optimisation.