A high-power RF switch IC using AlGaN/GaN HFETs with single-stage configuration

A high-power single-pole double throw (SPDT) switch IC using AlGaN/GaN heterojunction field-effect transistors (HFETs) is demonstrated for the first time. The reduction of on-resistance (R/sub on/) and off-capacitance (C/sub off/) for AlGaN/GaN HFETs enables the GaN-based switch IC that can be appli...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:IEEE transactions on electron devices 2005-08, Vol.52 (8), p.1893-1899
Main Authors: Ishida, H., Hirose, Y., Murata, T., Ikeda, Y., Matsuno, T., Inoue, K., Uemoto, Y., Tanaka, T., Egawa, T., Ueda, D.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aluminum compounds
Aluminum gallium nitrides
Applied sciences
Design. Technologies. Operation analysis. Testing
Devices
Electric, optical and optoelectronic circuits
Electronics
Exact sciences and technology
Field-effect transistors (FETs)
Gallium compounds
Gallium nitrides
GaN
high power
Integrated circuits
Interfaces
isolation
loss
MODFETs
Noise levels
Ohmic contacts
Radio frequencies
sapphire
Semiconductor electronics. Microelectronics. Optoelectronics. Solid state devices
Semiconductors
SiC
Silicon carbide
switch
Switches
Theoretical study. Circuits analysis and design
Transistors
UHF FETs
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Summary:A high-power single-pole double throw (SPDT) switch IC using AlGaN/GaN heterojunction field-effect transistors (HFETs) is demonstrated for the first time. The reduction of on-resistance (R/sub on/) and off-capacitance (C/sub off/) for AlGaN/GaN HFETs enables the GaN-based switch IC that can be applied for practical RF applications. A novel Si-doping technique is employed to reduce ohmic contact resistance, which successfully reduces the R/sub on/. The C/sub off/ of the HFETs on a sapphire substrate is found to be smaller than that on a SiC substrate, together with low cost fabrication. The GaN-based SPDT switch IC with single-stage configuration is designed by using a circuit simulator based on the extracted device parameters. The fabricated SPDT switch IC achieves insertion loss of 0.26 dB and isolation of 27 dB at 1 GHz, as well as an extremely high-power handling capability of 43 W. This value is 10 times higher than that of typical GaAs-based switch ICs. In addition, the switch IC exhibits low distortion characteristics, where the third-order intercept point of 41 dBm is achieved. The chip size is reduced to 40% as compared with conventional four stage GaAs-based switch ICs by using the single-stage circuit configuration.
ISSN:0018-9383
1557-9646
DOI:10.1109/TED.2005.851835