Li, H., Xie, H., Xie, Q., Liu, S., Wang, Y., Wang, Y., Ranjan, K., Zhuang, Y., Gong, X., Ng, G. I. (2024). AlN/GaN/AlGaN-on-Si HEMT Achieving 1.3 W/mm at 5 V for 5G FR2 Handsets. IEEE Electron Device Letters, 45(12), 2315–2318. https://doi.org/10.1109/led.2024.3483888
Abstract:
This Letter reports a double heterostructure (DH) AlN/GaN/AlGaN-on-Si HEMT, which has been proposed, for low voltage (LV, ≤5 V) RF operation. The proposed transistor shows excellent DC (Idmax=1.9 A/mm, gmmax=0.66 S/mm) and RF small-signal characteristics (fT / fmax=145 /195 GHz). Continuous-wave (CW) load-pull measurements at 30 GHz yield Psat of 0.6 (1.3) W/mm at V ds of 3.5 (5) V, and peak power-added efficiency (PAE) of 43% (42%). To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the Psat values are the highest reported for LV GaN-on-Si HEMTs in 5G FR2, despite the use of conventional alloyed contacts and a gate length (Lg) of 120 nm. Furthermore, among published LV GaN-on-Si HEMTs, the proposed transistor achieves a desired combination of saturation velocity (vsat) and knee voltage (Vknee), which are critical factors for LV power amplification. The results reflect the promising potential of the proposed heterostructure to achieve high transmit power in 5G FR2 handsets.
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Funding Info:
This research / project is supported by the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) - RIE2025 Manufacturing, Trade, and Connectivity Programmatic Fund
Grant Reference no. : M21K6b0134
This research / project is supported by the National Research Foundation, and Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) - RIE2025 Manufacturing, Trade, and Connectivity Programmatic Fund
Grant Reference no. : M23WSNG001