Low-resistive gate module for RF GaN-HFETs by electroplating

This paper presents a novel approach for reducing the gate resistance ( R g ) of K and Ka-band GaN HFETs with 150 nm gate length through a new gate metallization technique. The method involves increasing the gate cross-section via galvanic metallization using FBH’s Ir-sputter gate technology, which...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Semiconductor science and technology 2024-02, Vol.39 (2), p.25007
Main Authors: Yazdani, H, Thies, A, Stützle, P, Bengtsson, O, Hilt, O, Heinrich, W, Würfl, J
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
GaN HFETs
gate resistance
two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG)
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Summary:This paper presents a novel approach for reducing the gate resistance ( R g ) of K and Ka-band GaN HFETs with 150 nm gate length through a new gate metallization technique. The method involves increasing the gate cross-section via galvanic metallization using FBH’s Ir-sputter gate technology, which allows an increase in gate metal thickness from the current 0.4 μ m to approximately 1.0 μ m for the transistors under investigation. This optimization leads to a substantial 50% reduction in gate series resistance, resulting in significant improvements in the RF performance. Specifically, the devices achieve 20% higher output power density and 10% better power-added efficiency at 20 GHz and V ds = 20 V. The decreased gate resistance enables new degrees of freedom in design, such as longer gate fingers and/or shorter gate lengths, for more efficient power cells operating in this frequency range.
ISSN:0268-1242
1361-6641
DOI:10.1088/1361-6641/ad1b16