Gan-on-Silicon Based Technology for RF Cellular and Wimax Infrastructure Applications

A GaN-on-silicon platform technology hasbeendeveloped toprovide theRF-device performance advantages ofgallium nitride combined withthemanufacturing advantages ofsilicon. A GaNFETprocess baseline hasbeenestablished tomeetthetransistor and amplifier performance demands ofUMTS andWiMaxapplications requiring higher CW powerandefficiency, higher operating voltage, broader bandwidth, higher frequency, and better linearity underW-CDMA andOFDM modulation neededbythewireless infrastructure markets. Nitronex hasusedacommonprocess baseline toscale gate peripheries, optimize internal matching networks andutilize various packaging solutions todevelop several products andinthis study wereport ontheNPT21120, NPT35010 and NPT35050whichspanperformance from2.1 - 3.5GHzandsaturated powerlevels from IOWto120W. AlGaN/GaN heterostructure field effect transistors havebeengrownandfabricated on float-zone 100mmsilicon (111) substrates bymetalorganic chemical vapor deposition [1]. Complete details ofthedevice processing havebeenpresented elsewhere [2].The baseline process includes useofsource field plates, 0.5-micron gatelengths andsource grounded backside vias.