Status of InP HEMT technology for microwave receiver applications

The current status of InP-based high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) technology for low noise amplification at frequencies up to more than 100 GHz is presented. Following a review of recent advances industry-wide in both device and circuit performance, two issues which will pace the rate at which this new technology can be inserted into microwave systems-material/process maturity and long-term reliability-are discussed.