A Highly Manufacturable 75–150 VDC GaN-SiC RF Technology for Radars and Particle Accelerators

The latest advances in a GaN on SiC RF technology for powering radar systems and particle accelerators are reported. Unlike research-grade technologies based on novel materials, the technology presented here is highly manufacturable as it is based on commercially available GaN on SiC epitaxial wafers and the AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) structure. However, compared to state-of-the-art GaN on SiC RF technology operating from 28 to 50 V, the approach and results presented in this paper explore core transistor designs that are suitable for operation with a bias voltage ranging from 75 to 150 VDC. Wafer processing is similar to typical GaN HEMT process modules for commercially available 28 - 50 V technology and therefore can be easily implemented in existing GaN on SiC manufacturing lines. The approach results in power densities > 10 W/mm at hundred watts power levels which is very desirable in mega-watts RF systems. The results presented in this publication illustrate some of the benefits achievable in radar systems and RF power sources for particle accelerators.