Composite-channel metamorphic high electron mobility transistor for low-noise and high-linearity applications

Abstract

A metamorphic high-electron-mobility transistor (MHEMT) with In0.55Ga0.45As/In0.67Ga0.33As/In0.55Ga0.45As composite channel layers was developed for low-noise and high-linearity applications. The use of: a composite channel results in high electron mobility and good confinement of electrons in the channel region which are the desired characteristics of low-noise and high-linearity devices. The noise figure of the 0.25 x 160 mum(2) devices is 0.23 dB with 15.06 dB associated gain, and the output third-order intercept point (IP3) is 18.67 dBm at 6 GHz. The device shows great potential for high-linearity and low-noise applications at high frequencies.