Dependence of GaAs power MESFET microwave performance on device and material parameters

The results of recent X-band measurements on GaAs Power FET's are described. These devices are fabricated with a simple planar process and at least 1-W output power at 9 GHz with 4-dB gain has been obtained from more than 25 slices having carrier concentrations in the range 5 to 15 × 10
¹⁶
cm
^-3
. The highest output powers observed to date are 1.0 W at 11 GHz and 3.6 W at 8 GHz with 4-dB gain. Devices have had up to 46-percent power-added efficiency at 8 GHz. The fabrication process is briefly described and the factors contributing to the high output powers reported here are discussed. Some of these factors are epitaxial carrier concentration near 8 × 10
¹⁶
cm
^-3
, good device heatsinking, and low parasitic resistance. The observed dependence of microwave performance on total gate width, gate length, pinchoff voltage, epitaxial doping level, etc., is described.