Low-Noise Microwave Performance of AlN/GaN HEMTs Grown on Silicon Substrate

Microwave noise performance of state-of-the-art AlN/GaN high-electron-mobility transistors (HEMTs) grown on 100-mm Si substrate has been investigated. DC and RF measurements show the outstanding potential of this structure for high-power millimeter-wave (mmW) applications. A maximum output current density of about 2 A/mm, together with a low gate leakage current, and a record GaN-on-Si extrinsic transconductance above 600 mS/mm are demonstrated. The current gain cutoff frequency f(T) and the maximum oscillation frequency f(max) were 85 and 103 GHz, respectively, with a 0.16-mu m gate length. At V-DS = 4 V, the device exhibits a minimum noise figure (NFmin) of 1 dB (1.8 dB) with an associated gain (G(A)) of 12 dB (10 dB) at 10 GHz (18 GHz) favorably comparable to the best reported GaN-on-Si HEMTs. These results show that AlN/GaN HEMTs grown on silicon substrate are promising for the integration of cost effective, low noise, and high power mmW amplifiers.