2010 IEEE MTT-S International Microwave Symposium Technical Program

Session: TH2A	Wide Bandgap Semiconductor Applications
Chair:	Aaron Oki, Northrop Grumman
Co-Chair:	Reynold Kagiwada, Northrop Grumman
Abstract:	Wide bandgap technologies continue to make significant advances with improvements in gain, bandwidth, power added efficiency, and reliability. Microwave power applications are moving up to millimeter wave frequencies. Industry leaders will present the state-of-the-art in wide bandgap devices, MMICs, and applications.

TH2A-1	DARPA’s GaN Technology Thrust
10:10 AM-10:30 AM	M. J. Rosker¹, J. D. Albrecht¹, E. Cohen², J. Hodiak³, T. Chang³, ¹Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Arlington, United States, ²EBCO Technology Advising, Inc., North Potomac, United States, ³Booz Allen Hamilton Inc., Arlington, United States
(1784)	DARPA/MTO has sponsored III-N electronics programs to combine associated high intrinsic breakdown voltages, high electron saturation velocities, and large sheet carrier densities. The WBGS-RF program has developed GaN HEMTs for high power RF electronics resulting in sufficiently mature transistors to confidently predict 10E6 hours of MTTF for up to 40GHz power device operation. The latest NEXT program further pushes III-N-based HEMTs toward its frequency (size) scaling limits by simultaneously minimizing carrier transit time, maximizing electron density, and reducing access resistances with innovative epitaxial structures and dielectric heterointerfaces. The goals of the Phase I of NEXT project are to demonstrate 300 GHz D-mode and 200 GHz E-mode HEMTs while maintaining the breakdown voltage and transistor cutoff frequency product ≥ 5 THz•Volt. The final goal of the NEXT program is to enable 1000-transistor, high-yield, 500 GHz E/D-mode GaN technology for mixed signal applications.

TH2A-2	Reliable GaN HEMTS for High Frequency Applications
10:30 AM-10:50 AM	B. Heying, W. Luo, I. Smorchkova, S. Din, M. Wojtowicz, Northrop Grumman Corporation, Redondo Beach, United States
(1729)	This paper describes our team’s efforts to develop a manufacturable 0.2 um T-gate process for GaN HEMTs that enables high performance and enhanced reliability at high frequencies. Our team has demonstrated highly repeatable and uniform HEMT performance measured at 40 GHz with 3.6 W/mm median output power densities, 36.6 % median PAE, and 8.4 dB associated gain. RF-driven, temperature-accelerated life tests show a mean–time-to-failure (MTTF) 6e7 hours at 150C junction temperature. Using this GaN HEMT process our team has demonstrated V-band circuits with output power of 1.13 W (2.83 W/mm) with 23.3 % power-added-efficiency measured under CW operation. Furthermore, by increasing the drain bias to 38 V, the circuit demonstrated state-of-the-art power density of 3.96 W/mm (1.58 W total power).

TH2A-3	GaN Technology for Microwave and Millimeter Wave Applications
10:50 AM-11:10 AM	N. J. Kolias, C. S. Whelan, T. E. Kazior, K. V. Smith, Raytheon Company, Andover, United States
(1745)	After many years of development to improve the material and devices, GaN technology is now in production and poised to revolutionize many of today’s Radar and Communication systems. In this paper we present an overview of GaN development, focusing on reliability, affordability, and defense applications.

TH2A-4	100 mm GaN-on-SiC RF MMIC Technology
11:10 AM-11:30 AM	J. W. Palmour, C. Hallin, A. Burk, F. Radulescu, D. Namishia, H. Hagleitner, J. Duc, B. Pribble, S. T. Sheppard, J. B. Barner, J. Milligan, Cree, Inc., Durham, United States
(1589)	100 mm diameter 4H-SiC High Purity Semi-Insulating (HPSI) substrates are now being manufactured in high volume. GaN HEMT layers grown on 100 mm SiC substrates have shown excellent sheet resistivity and AlGaN thickness uniformities of 1.3 and 1.1%, respectively. The fabrication process for MMIC manufacture was adapted to the larger diameter wafers without requiring any change to the process design kits for the foundry. MIM capacitor processes were optimized, and resistor process, wafer thinning and slot via etching were all adapted to the larger platform. These 100 mm wafers are now being used in high volume production of both high power discrete GaN devices, as well as MMICs. Commercially available MMICs have been released to production using this 100 mm platform. A wide band 25 Watt power amplifier is discussed, along with a 3 watt driver capable of DC-4 GHz operation.

TH2A-5	Wideband Power Amplifier MMICs Utilizing GaN on SiC
11:30 AM-11:40 AM	E. Reese, D. Allen, C. Lee, T. Nguyen, TriQuint Semiconductor, Richardson, United States
(1637)	The application of GaN on SiC technology to wideband power amplifier MMICs is explored. The unique characteristics of GaN on SiC applied to reactively matched and distributed wideband circuit topologies are discussed, including comparison to GaAs technology. A 2 – 18 GHz 11W power amplifier MMIC is presented as an example.

TH2A-6	Gallium Nitride RF-Devices: An Overview on the Development Activities in Europe
11:40 AM-11:50 AM	R. Quay, M. Mikulla, Fraunhofer IAF , Freiburg, Germany
(1545)	Gallium Nitride is a key technology with high system impact for European industries for communication-, military-, and space-applications. This paper reviews the recent technical development activities of III-Nitride devices for RF-applications in Europe. After the completion of several significant research projects, the technical status is reviewed based on recent examples relevant to the state-of-the-art in Europe. Further, a European perspective for the industrialization and exploitation of this technology will be discussed.

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