6.2 W/Mm and Record 33.8 PAE at 94 GHz From N-Polar GaN Deep Recess MIS-HEMTs With ALD Ru Gates

This letter reports on the W-band power performance of N-polar GaN deep recess MIS-high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) using a new atomic layer deposition (ALD) ruthenium (Ru) gate metallization process. The deep recess structure is utilized to control the DC-RF dispersion and increase the conductivity in the access regions. The ALD Ru effectively fills the narrow T-gate stems aiding realization of shorter gate lengths with lower gate resistance than in prior work. In this work, the gate length was scaled down to 48 nm, resulting in the demonstration of a record high 8.1-dB linear transducer gain measured at 94 GHz by load pull. This increased gain has enabled a record 33.8% power-added efficiency (PAE) with an associated output power density (P-O) of 6.2 W/mm.

Automated summary

This study reports on the W-band power performance of N-polar GaN deep recess MIS-HEMTs using a new ALD ruthenium gate metallization process. The use of deep recess structure helps control DC-RF dispersion and increase conductivity in the access regions, while ALD ruthenium effectively fills narrow T-gate stems to achieve shorter gate lengths and lower gate resistance. With a gate length scaled down to 48 nm, a record high 8.1 dB linear transducer gain was achieved at 94 GHz, resulting in a record 33.8% power-added efficiency and output power density of 6.2 W/mm.