Gate current model for the hot-electron regime of operation in heterostructure field effect transistors

A model to describe the dependence of the gate current with source-to-drain voltage was developed and used to predict the performance of AlGaAs/InGaAs/GaAs HFETs. Our model describes the charge injection transistor (CHINT) regime of operation and account for real-space electron transport. In this model, the saturation of the hot-electron gate current is explained by the rapid drop in the energy relaxation time caused by the real-space transfer of electrons. Good correlation between the experimental and theoretical data was found for temperatures ranging from 198 to 398 K. Our experimental and theoretical results should be accounted for in the design of HFET devices and integrated circuits.