High-speed graded-channel AlGaN/GaN HEMTs with power added efficiency >70% at 30 GHz

• Published in: Electronics letters Vol. 56; no. 13; pp. 678 - 680
• Main Authors: Moon, J.S, Grabar, R, Wong, J, Antcliffe, M, Chen, P, Arkun, E, Khalaf, I, Corrion, A, Chappell, J, Venkatesan, N, Fay, P
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: The Institution of Engineering and Technology 25.06.2020
• Subjects: AlGaN‐GaN; aluminium compounds; efficiency 65 percent; efficiency 75 percent; frequency 30.0 GHz; gallium compounds; high electron mobility transistors; high‐efficiency millimetre‐wave power amplifiers; high‐speed graded‐channel HEMTs; III‐V semiconductors; microwave field effect transistors; millimetre wave field effect transistors; novel channel design; PAE; power added efficiency; power measurement; RF power density operation; semiconductor device measurement; Semiconductor technology; size 60.0 nm; two‐tone power measurement; voltage 10.0 V; voltage 14.0 V; wide band gap semiconductors; gallium compounds; frequency 30.0 GHz; high electron mobility transistors; efficiency 65 percent; microwave field effect transistors; semiconductor device measurement; novel channel design; power added efficiency; millimetre wave field effect transistors; high-efficiency millimetre-wave power amplifiers; high-speed graded-channel HEMTs; power measurement; AlGaN-GaN; efficiency 75 percent; aluminium compounds; size 60.0 nm; PAE; voltage 14.0 V; voltage 10.0 V; RF power density operation; wide band gap semiconductors; III-V semiconductors; two-tone power measurement
• ISSN: 0013-5194; 1350-911X; 1350-911X
• DOI: 10.1049/el.2020.0281

The authors report on highly scaled 60 nm gate length graded-channel AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) with a record power added efficiency (PAE) of 75% at 2.1 W/mm power density at Vdd = 10 V and the PAE of 65% at 3.0 W/mm power density at 30 GHz at Vdd = 14 V. Under two-tone power measurement, the graded-channel AlGaN/GaN HEMTs demonstrated similar power performance with peak PAE >70% at 30 GHz. This novel channel design shows great promise for high-efficiency millimetre-wave (mmW) power amplifiers up to 3 W/mm RF power density operation.