Super low-noise HEMTs with a T-shaped WSix gate

A T-shaped quarter-micron gate structure composed of WSi_x /Ti/Pt/Au has been developed for low-noise AlGaAs/GaAs HEMTs. The gate resistance R_g was reduced to 0.3 Ω for devices with 200 μm-wide gates despite using WSi_x, and the source resistance R_s reached 0.28 Ω mm by minimising the source-gate distance using a self-alignment technique. This HEMT exhibited the lowest reported noise figure of 0.54 dB with an associated gain of 12.1 dB at 12 GHz     

Submicron T-shaped gate HEMT fabrication using deep-UV lithography

A new combination of low/high/low sensitivity tri-layer (PMMA/PMIPK/PMMA) resist system was used for deep UV lithography to-fabricate submicron T-shaped gate. Gate length as narrow as 0.2 μm is achieved. GaAs HEMTs with 0.3 μm T-shaped Ti/Pt/Au gate are fabricated using this technology. The HEMT demonstrated a 0.6 dB noise figure and 13 dB associated gain at 10 GHz. This deep UV lithography process provides a high throughput and low cost alternative to E-beam lithography for submicron T-gate fabrication     

High microwave and ultra-low noise performance of fullyion-implanted GaAs MESFETs with Au/WSiN T-shaped gate

Fully ion-implanted n⁺ self-aligned GaAs MESFETs with high microwave and ultra-low-noise performance have been fabricated. T-shaped gate structures composed of Au/WSiN are employed to reduce gate resistance effectively. A very thin and high-quality channel with high carrier concentration can be formed by adopting the optimum annealing temperature for the channel, and the channel surface suffers almost no damage by using ECR plasma RIE for gate formation. GaAs MESFETs with a gate length as short as 0.35 μm demonstrated a maximum oscillation frequency of 76 GHz. At an operating frequency of 18 GHz, a minimum noise figure of 0.81 dB with an associated gain of 7.7 dB is obtained. A K_f factor of 1.4 estimated by Fukui's noise figure equation, which is comparable to those of AlGaAs/GaAs HEMTs with the same geometry, reveals that the quality of the channel is very high     

Electron-beam fabrication of GaAs low-noise MESFET's using a new trilayer resist technique

A LO/HI/LO resist system has been developed to produce sub-half-micrometer T-shaped cross section metal lines using e-beam lithography. The system provides T-shaped resist cavities with undercut profiles. T-shaped metal lines as narrow as 0.15 µm have been produced. GaAs MESFET's with 0.25-µm T-shaped Ti/Pt/Au gates have also been fabricated on MBE wafers using this resist technique. Measured end-to, end 0.25-µm gate resistance was 80 ω/mm, dc transconductance gmas high as 300 mS/mm was observed. At 18 GHz, a noise figure as low as 1.4 dB with an associated gain of 7.9 dB has also been measured. This is the lowest noise figure ever reported for conventional GaAs MESFET's at this frequency. These superior results are mainly attributed to the high-quality MBE material and the advanced T-gate fabrication technique employing e-beam lithography.     

0.2 Micron length T-shaped gate fabrication using angle evaporation

A new technique has been developed to generate sub-half-micron T-shaped gates in GaAs MESFET's. The technique uses a single-level resist and an angle evaporation process. By using this technique, T-shaped gates with lengths as short as 0.2 µm near the Schottky interface have been fabricated. Measured gate resistance from this structure was 6.1 Ω/mm gate width which is the lowest value ever reported for gates of equal length. GaAs single- and dual-gate MESFET's with 0.3 µm long T-shaped gates have also been fabricated. At 18 GHz, maximum available gain of 9.5 dB in the single-gate FET and maximum stable gain of 19.5 dB in the dual-gate device have been measured.     

Ultra low noise characteristics of AlGaAs/InGaAs/GaAs pseudomorphicHEMT's with wide head T-shaped gate

The fully passivated low noise AlGaAs/InGaAs/GaAs pseudomorphic (PM) HEMT with 0.13 μm T-shaped gate was fabricated using dose split electron beam lithography method (DSM). This device exhibited low noise figures of 0.31 and 0.45 dB at 12 and 18 GHz, respectively. These noise figures are the lowest value ever reported for the GaAs based HEMT's. These results are attributed to the extremely low gate resistance which results from wide head T-shaped gate having the higher ratio more than 10 of gate head length to gate footprint     

Extremely low-noise performance of GaAs MESFETs with wide-headT-shaped gate

Fully ion-implanted low-noise GaAs MESFETs with a 0.11-μm Au/WSiN T-shaped gate have been successfully developed for applications in monolithic microwave and millimeter-wave integrated circuits (MMICs). In order to reduce the gate resistance, a wide Au gate head made of a first-level interconnect is employed. As the wide gate head results in parasitic capacitance, the relation between the gate head length (L_h) and the device performance is examined. The gate resistance is also precisely calculated using the cold FET technique and Mahon and Anhold's method. A current gain cutoff frequency (f_T) and a maximum stable gain (MSG) decrease monotonously as L_h increases on account of parasitic capacitance. However, the device with L_h of 1.0 μm, which has lower gate resistance than 1.0 Ω, exhibits a noise figure of 0.78 dB with an associated gain of 8.7 dB at an operating frequency of 26 GHz. The measured noise figure is comparable to that of GaAs-based HEMT's     

Ku波段20W GaAs功率PHEMT

报道了采用介质辅助T型栅工艺研制的GaAs功率PHEMT.在该T型栅工艺中栅长和栅帽的尺寸分别进行控制,实现了较好的工艺可控性和较高的工艺成品率.采用该工艺制作了总栅宽为19.2mm的功率PHEMT.用两枚这种芯片合成并研制的Ku波段内匹配功率管在14.0～14.5GHz频带内,输出功率大干20W,功率增益大于6dB,典型功率附加效率为31%.     

24—38 GHz GaAs单片低噪声放大器的研制

介绍了24～38GHz低噪声放大器MMIC的研制。分析了微波晶体管放大器的噪声特性,针对噪声系数和增益,利用软件进行电路仿真优化和电磁场分析,设计制作电路版图,在标准3 in GaAs工艺线进行工艺制作。采用电子束制作0．20μm“T”形栅,利用选择腐蚀的方法准确控制有源器件的Idss和Vp,微波测试结果为在频带内的噪声系数小于3．8dB,小信号增益大于13dB,增益平坦度小于±0．6dB,输入和输出驻波比小于2：1．微波性能与NORTHROP GRUMMAN公司的同类产品ALH140C的水平相当。     

基于AlN/GaN异质结的Ka波段GaN低噪声放大器研制

报道了基于AlN/GaN异质结的Ka波段低噪声放大器的研制结果.在SiC衬底上生长AlN/GaN异质结材料结构,采用电子束直写工艺制备了栅长70 nm的"T"型栅结构.器件最大电流密度为1.50 A/mm,最大跨导为650 mS/mm,通过S参数测试外推特征频率和最大频率分别为105 GHz和235 GHz.基于70 ...     

60-GHz noise performance of ion-implanted InxGa1-xAs MESFET's

The authors report the 60-GHz noise performance of low-noise ion-implanted In_xGa_1-xAs MESFETs with 0.25 μm T-shaped gates and amplifiers using these devices. The device noise figure was 2.8 dB with an associated gain of 5.6 dB at 60 GHz. A hybrid two-state amplifier using these ion-implanted In_xGa_1-x As MESFETs achieved a noise figure of 4.6 dB with an associated gain of 10.1 dB at 60 GHz. When this amplifier was biased at 100% I _dss, it achieved 11.5-dB gain at 60 GHz. These results, achieved using low-cost ion-implantation techniques, are the best reported noise figures for ion-implanted MESFETs     

Direct ion-implanted 0.12 μm GaAs MESFET with ft of121 GHz and fmax of 160 GHz

An 0.12 μm gate length direct ion-implanted GaAs MESFET exhibiting excellent DC and microwave characteristics has been developed. By using a shallow implant schedule to form a highly-doped channel and an AsH₃ overpressure annealing system to optimize the shallow dopant profile, the GaAs MESFET performance was further improved. Peak transconductance of 500 mS/mm was obtained at I_ds =380 mA/mm. A noise figure of 0.9 dB with associated gain of 8.9 dB were achieved at 18 GHz. The current gain cutoff frequency f_max of 160 GHz indicates the suitability of this 0.12 μm T-gate device for millimeter-wave IC applications     

Noise performance of low power 0.25 micron gate ion implantedD-mode GaAs MESFET for wireless applications

We report on the noise performance of low power 0.25 μm gate ion implanted D-mode GaAs MESFETs suitable for wireless personal communication applications. The 0.25 μm×200 μm D-mode MESFET has a f_t of 18 GHz and f_max of 33 GHz at a power level of 1 mW (power density of 5 mW/mm). The noise characteristics at 4 GHz for the D-mode MESFET are F_min=0.65 dB and G_assoc =13 dB at 1 mW. These results demonstrate that the GaAs D-mode MESFET is also an excellent choice for low power personal communication applications     

Super-low-noise performance of direct-ion-implanted 0.25-μm-gateGaAs MESFET's

The authors report on advanced ion implantation GaAs MESFET technology using a 0.25-μm `T' gate for super-low-noise microwave and millimeter-wave IC applications. The 0.25×200-μm-gate GaAs MESFETs achieved 0.56-dB noise figure with 13.1-dB associated gain at 50% I_DSS and 0.6 dB noise figure with 16.5-dB associated gain at 100% I_DSS at a measured frequency of 10 GHz. The measured noise figure is comparable to the best noise performance of AlGaAs/GaAs HEMTs and AlGaAs/InGaAs/GaAs pseudomorphic HEMTs     

采用移相掩模技术制作深亚微米“T”型栅

介绍了在GaAs器件制作中,如何提高光刻细线条加工能力、制作深亚微米"T"型栅的工艺技术。该技术采用投影光刻和负性化学放大光刻胶,制作出0.18μm的"T"型栅GaAs PHEMT器件,栅光刻工艺采用了分辨率增强移相掩模技术。根据曝光工具简单介绍了当前GaAs器件中"T"型栅主要制作方法,讨论了"T"型栅制作中所使用的移相掩模原理以及该技术应用于GaAs器件制作的优势,并介绍了工艺制作过程。给出了所制作的"T"型栅扫描电镜剖面照片,并进一步试验、讨论和分析了采用该种移相掩模版进行光刻时所遇到的主要困难及解决方向。     

High power DPDT antenna switch MMIC for digital cellular systems

In this paper, we propose two new types of dual-pole double-throw (DPDT) switch GaAs JFET monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMICs) for digital cellular handsets. These ICs have the excellent characteristics of low insertion loss and high power handling capability, even with a low control voltage by stacking three JFETs with shallow V_p and using a novel bias circuit using p-n junction diodes. One DPDT switch IC has two shunt FET blocks and can achieve high isolation without external parts. An insertion loss less than 0.6 dB and isolation over 25 dB up to 2 GHz were achieved. P_1dB was about 35 dBm even with a control voltage of 0/3 V. Another DPDT switch IC utilizes parallel resonance of external inductors and parasitic capacitance between the drain and the source of the OFF-state FETs. By attaching 15 nH inductors, for example, the IC exhibited an insertion loss as low as 0.4 dB, an isolation of better than 40 dB at 1.5 GHz, a bandwidth of about 400 MHz for 20 dB isolation, and P_1dB of about 34 dBm with the 0/3 V control     

High-speed, low-noise InGaP/GaAs heterojunction bipolar transistors

We have demonstrated self-aligned InGaP/GaAs heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBT's) with excellent dc, microwave, and noise performance. A 3×10 μm² emitter finger device achieved a cutoff frequency of f_T=66 GHz and a maximum frequency of oscillation of f_max=109 GHz. A minimum noise figure of 1.12 dB and an associated gain of 11 dB were measured at 4 GHz. These results are the highest combined f_T+f_max and the lowest noise figure reported for an InGaP/GaAs HBT and are attributed to material quality and the use of self-aligned base contacts. These data clearly demonstrate the viability of InGaP/GaAs HBT's for high-speed, low-noise circuit applications     

Compact reflective-type phase-shifter MMIC for C-band using alumped-element coupler

The design and results of an ultra-compact single-load reflective-type monolithic-microwave integrated-circuit phase shifter at 6.2 GHz for a satellite radar system is presented in this paper, which has been fabricated using a commercial 0.6-μm GaAs MESFET process. A 3-dB 90° coupler with lumped elements enables significant circuit size reduction in comparison to former approaches applying microstrip branch line or Lange couplers. Phase control is enabled using MESFET varactors with capacitance control ratios (C_max/C_min ) of only four. Equations are derived to precisely describe the phase control ranges versus capacitance control ratios for different load configurations to allow efficient optimizations. Furthermore, the design tradeoff between low loss and high phase control range is discussed. Within a phase control range of 210°, a loss of 4.9 dB±0.9 dB and a 1-dB input compression point of higher than 5 dBm was measured for the designed phase shifter. The circuit size is less than 0.5 mm², which, to our knowledge, is the smallest reflective-type phase-shifter size reported to date     

Super low noise InGaP gated PHEMT

Very high performance InGaP/InGaAs/GaAs PHEMTs will be demonstrated. The fabricated InGaP gated PHEMTs devices with 0.25 × 160/cm² and 0.25 × 300 μm² of gate dimensions show 304 mA/mm and 330 mA/mm of saturation drain current at V_GS = 0 V, V_DS = 2 V, and 320 mS/mm and 302 mS/mm of extrinsic transconductances, respectively. Noise figures for 160 μm and 300 μm gate-width devices at 12 GHz are measured to be 0.46 dB with a 13 dB associated gain and 0.49 dB with a 12.85 dB associated gain, respectively. With such a high gain and low noise, the drain-to-gate breakdown voltage can be larger than 11 V. Standard deviation in the threshold voltage of 22 mV for 160 μm gate-width devices across a 4-in wafer can be achieved using a highly selective wet recess etching process. Good thermal stability of these InGaP gated PHEMTs is also presented     

A high-performance 40-85 GHz MMIC SPDT switch using FET-integrated transmission line structure

A compact ultra-broadband distributed SPDT switch has been developed using GaAs PHEMTs. An FET-integrated transmission line structure, where the source pad of the shunt FET has been integrated into the signal line while the drain has been grounded to a via-hole with minimum parasitic inductance, has been proposed to extend the operating bandwidth of the distributed switches. SPDT and SPST switches using this structure have been fabricated using a commercial GaAs PHEMT foundry. The SPDT switch showed low insertion loss (<2 dB) and good isolation (>30 dB) over an octave bandwidth from 40 to 85 GHz. At 77 GHz, the SPDT switch showed extremely low insertion loss of 1.4 dB and high isolation of 38 dB. The chip size was as small as 1.45/spl times/1.0 mm/sup 2/. To the best of our knowledge, this is among the best performance ever reported for an octave-band SPDT switch at this frequency range. SPST switch also showed the excellent performance with the insertion loss of 0.4 dB and isolation of 34 dB at 60 GHz.