RF p-GaN HEMT With 0.9-dB Noise Figure and 12.8-dB Associated Gain for LNA Applications

Low-noise amplification performance of an enhancement-mode p-GaN gate high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) is thoroughly investigated. Featuring a tungsten (W) gate metal and CMOS-compatible metal contacts to source/drain terminals, the device exhibits a positive threshold voltage of 2.7 V. Low gate leakage current density (IG) of 3.8 pA/mm and 16.3 nA/mm are extracted in pinch-off region and on-state region, respectively. The device delivers an input third-order interception point (IIP3) of 15.8 dBm at 2 GHz, together with good immunity of linearity characteristics against frequency change. A minimum noise figure ( NFmin) of 0.9 dB with an associated gain (Ga) of 12.8 dB are achieved at a working frequency of 2 GHz. Furthermore, an examination of the bias and frequency effects on NFmin and Ga reveals NFmin of 0.65 dB and Ga of 18.3 dB at 1 GHz. This work paves a solid path for the utilization of p-GaN HEMT for low noise amplifier applications.