Al(In)GaN-Based, High-Electron Mobility Transistors (HEMTs) on SiC for High-Power Radar Applications

73017S03-I Substantial improvements in high-power performance are predicted for high-frequency Al(In)GaN-based HEMTs on SiC substrates, which are components of Synthetic Aperture Radar systems used in national security applications. The two main issues are the growth of high-quality, insulating GaN buffer layers and the formation of hyper-abrupt Al(In)GaN/(In)GaN interfaces. This project will fabricate Al(In)GaN/(In)GaN high-power transistors on highly resistive GaN layers on SiC substrates, using a Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE) technique. Phase I will optimize the MBE growth of Al(In)GaN/(In)GaN heterostructures on SiC substrates and develop microelectronics processes for the fabrication of high-power, AlInGaN-based HEMTs. Expected device parameters include: current density greater than 1.2A/mm, extrinsic transconductance values greater than 400 mS/mm, fT greater than 200 GHz, and power density greater than 8 W/mm at 40 GHz. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by awardee: Improved AlInGaN-based power HEMTs should have numerous civilian and defense applications including radar tracking, cellular base stations, telemetry, and satellite communications.