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AlGaN Microwave Power HFETs on Insulating SiC Substrates

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 February 2011

Gerry Sullivan
Affiliation:
Rockwell Science Center, Thousand Oaks, CA
Ed Gertner
Affiliation:
Rockwell Science Center, Thousand Oaks, CA
Richard Pittman
Affiliation:
Rockwell Science Center, Thousand Oaks, CA
Mary Chen
Affiliation:
Rockwell Science Center, Thousand Oaks, CA
Richard Pierson
Affiliation:
Rockwell Science Center, Thousand Oaks, CA
Aiden Higgins
Affiliation:
Rockwell Science Center, Thousand Oaks, CA
Qisheng Chen
Affiliation:
APA Optics, Blaine, MN
Jin-Wu Yang
Affiliation:
University of South Carolina, Columbia, S.C.
R. Peter Smith
Affiliation:
JPL/Caltech, Pasadena, CA
Raul Perez
Affiliation:
JPL/Caltech, Pasadena, CA
Abdur Khan
Affiliation:
JPL/Caltech, Pasadena, CA
Joan Redwing
Affiliation:
Epitronics/ATMI, Danbury, CT: Karim Boutros, Spectrolab, Sylmar, CA.
Brian McDermott
Affiliation:
Epitronics/ATMI, Danbury, CT: Karim Boutros, Spectrolab, Sylmar, CA.
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Abstract

AIGaN HFETs are attractive devices for high power microwave applications. Sapphire, which is the typical substrate for AlGaN epitaxy, has a very poor thermal conductivity, and the power performance of AlGaN HFETs fabricated on sapphire substrates is severely limited due to this large thermal impedance. We report on HFETs fabricated on high thermal conductivity electrically insulating SiC substrates. Excellent RF power performance for large area devices is demonstrated. On-wafer CW measurements at 10 GHz of a 320 micron wide FET resulted in an RF power density of 2.8 Watts/mm, and measurements of a 1280 micron wide FET resulted in a total power of 2.3 Watts. On-wafer pulsed measurements, at 8 GHz, of a 1280 micron wide FET resulted in a total power of 3.9 Watts. Design of a hybrid microwave amplifier will be discussed.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1999

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References

REFERENCES

1- Allen, S.T., Pribble, W.L., Sadler, R.A., Alcorn, T.S., Ring, Z. and Palmour, J.W., Recent Progress in SiC Microwave MESFETs, Spring MRS Conference, Talk Y1.2, San Francisco, 1999.10.1557/PROC-572-15Google Scholar
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