mm-Wave operation of AlN/GaN-devices and MMICs at V- & W-band

This paper presents recent device and MMIC results of a 70 nm AlN/GaN-HEMT technology. Based on DC-transfer characteristics, a high saturated drain current of more than 1700 mA/mm, and a maximum transconductance of 470 mS/mm were measured for this technology. A transit frequency of f
_t
= 110 GHz along with a maximum oscillation frequency f
_max
= 300 GHz has been extracted. A maximum PAE of 60 %, and a maximum output power density of more than 2.6 W/mm have been demonstrated on single-device level by performing load-pull measurements. The achieved device performance is further verified based on circuit level by the realization of two power amplifiers. MMIC 1 demonstrates a high saturated output power of more than 30 dBm (1 W) between 70-86 GHz. A maximum output power of P
_out
= 28.5 dBm (700 mW) was determined at 94 GHz for MMIC 2.