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The Ultimate Guide To GaN
The Ultimate Guide To GaN
Guide to GaN
contents
How Do Silicon, SiC, Diamond,
and Sapphire Stack Up Beside GaN? .................................... 2
Characterizing, Modeling,
And Simulating GaN Transistors ..............................................9
Handling the Heat From GaN Devices ............................. 17
Boost Efficiency and Decrease Power
Dissipation of GaN Power Amplifiers................................24
Products.............................................................................................................32
Resources.........................................................................................................33
by Jean-Jacques DeLisle
When evaluating
substrate technologies
for GaN transistors,
designers need to
consider performance,
cost, and manufacturing
concerns before
selecting the right
material.
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as fabrication facilities adopt a technology for massmarket applications that can be applied to low-cost RF
applications. Boutique processes also are adopted on a
high-cost custom basis. Because GaN is seen as such a
exible and powerful new technology, signicant efforts
have been devoted to realizing fabrication methods
that can lead to both high-performance and low-cost
production based on mass-market fabrication processes.
From this work sprang the incentive to develop silicon as
a substrate that can bridge both worlds. But GaNs capability
GaAs
SiC
GaN
10
Thermal Conductivity
(W/cmK)
Saturation Velocity
(cm/s in millions)
0.1
Electron Mobility
in thousands (cm^2/Vs)
Power Density
(W/mm)
Bandgap (eV)
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thermal conductivities of all of the substrates. GaN-onSiC can serve much more compact power devices, as the
materials thermal conductivity and durability allow higher
temperatures over longer time periods. Additionally, GaNon-SiC has recently been explored as a solution for the LED
lighting, power, and even electric-vehicle industries. These
factors could lead to the development of SiC facilities that
decrease the relative cost of the SiC substrate, making it a
much more realistic option for mass-market applications.
Currently, SiC wafers range from 2 to 4 in., with some
facilities recently producing 6-in. wafers. In fact, some
manufacturers roadmaps call for SiC wafers ranging to
8 in., which may be warranted by demand from the LED
and power markets. Yet such manufacturing benets do
not outweigh the fact that SiC boules are grown as much
as 300 times more slowly than silicon boules. Scaling the
wafer size of SiC will help to reduce costs. But production
time and cost will still be high for GaN-on-SiC technology,
given capital depreciation and the energy consumption
required to produce SiC boules.
Its capability as an insulator also must be considered.
Although SiC is a reasonably good insulator, it performs
much poorer than both sapphire and diamond. GaNon-SiC products thus have higher internal parasitic
capacitances, which subsequently decrease the
frequencies of operation. This aspect may serve as a
long-term drawback, given the trend toward seeking everhigher frequencies of operation in the defense, electronicwarfare, microwave-backhaul, aerospace, imaging,
and sensing markets. Meanwhile, spectrum crowding
is forcing much tighter bandwidth and interference
requirements. Designing such stringent specications for
Silicon Carbide
SiC has been used as a GaN substrate in the RF/
microwave industry for several yearsmainly in defense
and high-power wireless-infrastructure applications. In
addition to being very durable, SiC offers one of the highest
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SiC
Sapphire
Diamond
10
Electrical Resistivity
@ RT (Ohm-cm in orders
of magnitude)
0.1
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Figure 3: Thermal
Conductivity of Common
Heat Sink Materials
Including CVD Diamond
DIAFILM TM200
DIAFILM TM180
DIAFILM TM150
DIAFILM TM100
Cu
BeO
AIN
0
500
1000
1500
2000
a low-cost, high-volume, and high-yield solution to compete with the galliumarsenide (GaAs) market for handhelds and other portable wireless technologies.
Current GaN-on-Si technologies have been shown to perform as well as GaAs
in terms of power. They may even offer greater power efciency. The major
competition for GaN-on-Si in this high-volume market is RF CMOS SoI, which
has met GaAs performance at much lower costs and with higher integration
viability. Yet, RF CMOS SoI is an unlikely solution for this application, as its
material property restrictions may prevent the technology from meeting the
power and efciency capabilities of GaN-on-Si.
It should be noted that many research organizations are looking at the
potential of developing GaN-on-Si for upper microwave and millimeter-wave
applications at tens of watts of power. This new adaptation will put GaAs and
indium-phosphide (InP) devices at a disadvantage, as GaN-on-Si raw materials
can be sourced in most regions at a fraction of the cost of these legacy materials.
GaN-on-Diamond
In the extremely high-power and high-performance RF/microwave markets, the
exploration of chemical-vapor-deposition (CVD) synthetic diamonds is gaining
momentum (Fig. 3). This trend should not be surprising, given that diamond offers
high thermal conductivity, mechanical strength, and insulation characteristics.
These properties translate to very high power density. Raytheon, for example, has
reported factor-of-three improvements compared to GaN-on-SiC.
In terms of thermal conductivity, diamond is nearly a factor of ve higher
than SiC. As a result, it can allow higher-power circuits to be placed in smaller
areas. Diamonds extremely high electrical resistance also reduces capacitive
parasitics throughout a device. This aspect could enable much higher frequencies
of operation at higher power levels. In addition, GaN-on-diamond enables GaN
devices to operate at much higher ambient device temperatures. When operating
in applications like wireless base stations and mobile radar, a higher ambient
temperature could lead to less energy and costs associated with cooling.
Cooling considerations are certainly signicant, as devices like actively
electronically steered arrays (AESAs) require a large number of extremely highpower devices in a small area. Many organizations have looked to diamond as
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a material solution for thermal heat sinking and thermal management in these
high-performance applications. Considering the material matching between a
diamond substrate and a diamond heat sink, there may be justication for the
high expense based on the material matching being signicantly more effective
at thermal transfer. Given diamonds signicantly different surface properties,
crystal structure, and thermal behavior, there also could be concerns over the
reliability of such devices.
Engineers with Element Six Technologies, the University of Zagreb, and
iMata Technologies performed tests with over 3,000 hours of operation at
350C to gauge the reliability of the material. At equivalent temperatures and
times, the GaN-on-SiC and GaN-on-Si devices failed, but the GaN-on-diamond
devices did not. This test demonstrates the high-reliability capabilities of GaNon-diamond technology (Fig. 4).
Understandably, GaN-on-diamond is expensive. But the technologys power
density offers the ability to develop highly compact devices that can operate
under extreme conditions while the device-per-wafer reduces costs. In many
applications, the increased performance could outweigh the negative cost
structure. Examples include electronic warfare, defense, aerospace, naval, and
wireless infrastructure.
If active cooling systems are not required for GaN-on-diamond devices, the
cost, size, weight, and versatility of the technology could be further augmented.
In fact, greater adoption and development could further reduce GaN-on-diamond
costs while increasing the technologys performance.
Ultimately, certain applications will be better served by each of the potential
GaN partner substrates. Prior to choosing a substrate technology for a specic
application, many factors need to be considered. For example, choosing a
lower-performing but established technology may serve the purpose of a massmarket application. As the defense, aerospace, naval, wireless infrastructure,
and satellite markets increase their device requirements, however, it is likely that
higher-performing device technologies will be adopted and developed to keep
the worlds leading militaries and industries at the cutting edge. GaNs impact
has already been felt in these areas. Given a pairing with the right substrate, its
reach will only grow.
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Degrees Cw
28.147
30.072
31.998
33.924
35.849
37.775
39.701
41.627
43.552
45.478
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by Jean-Jacques DeLisle
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Characteristics of GaN
To successfully generate models and properly
characterize devices, one must rst understand GaNs
characteristics. GaN is a WBG semiconductor with
intriguing electrical properties that enable it to be used as
a native material in applications ranging from high-power
and high-frequency electronics to ultraviolet laser diodes.
Much of GaNs versatility is derived from its electrical
characteristics of high electron mobility, saturation
velocity, and breakdown voltage. Additionally, GaNs
Qgd
Lg
Rg
Rd
Rgd
Igd
Igs
Cpg
Ld
Cpd
Ids
Qgs
Qds
Ri
Rs
Ls
Source: Courtesy of AMCAD
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As a semiconductor for high-power and highfrequency devices, GaN has proven that its promising
characteristics can provide benets for the latest
applications. Yet researchers and designers are still looking
for techniques to bring GaN device performance closer to
its maximum potential. Here, models that account for the
intricacies of this recently adopted material are critical.
The challenge lies in adapting testing and characterization
techniques, which are designed for materials with
signicantly inferior performance.
According to Dr. Christophe Charbonniaud, deputy
director and compact modeling leader for AMCAD, To
develop robust and accurate models for GaN devices,
an important number of measurements are needed,
and specic equipment with dedicated electronics
must be used. For example, pulsed current-voltage (IV)
measurement systems based on SiC devices have been
developed with breakdown voltages equivalent to or even
higher than the breakdown voltage of the GaN devices
typically characterized.
This need for specialized testing procedures and
equipment is of little surprise, as GaN devices operate with
roughly 10 times greater drain-to-source breakdown voltage
when compared to GaAs and silicon. It is this aspect that
enables GaNs much higher supply voltages, which in turn
leads to a lower current requirement for the same power
level, and, similarly, a lower power loss within the device. The
thermal buildup for a device depends upon these internal
losses. As a result, GaN devices generally exhibit many times
less thermal ux at equivalent power levels when compared
to GaAs or silicon. To a researcher and designer, this
means that more headroom must be invested to reach the
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Characterizations
(Static/Pulse IV,
CV,
S-Parameter)
Appropriate
Model
(Angelov, EEHEMT
CFET, etc.)
Parameter
Extraction
(IC-CAP, ADS, etc.)
Optimization/
Tuning
0.25
0.20
0.15
0.10
0.05
0.00
0.05
Acceptable
Model
Model Validation
Advanced Testing
(Load Pull
Pulse RF Measurements
Time Domain
Digital Modulation)
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2
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3
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Power meter
Spectrum
analyzer
Pulsed system
Signal generator
Coupler
Tuner
Tuner
Tuner
Coupler
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4
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Network analyzer/
vector receiver
Signal source
Amplifier
Impedance tuner
Low-loss
coupler
Low-loss
coupler
Impedance tuner
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TriQuint and RFMD have announced plans to merge under the name of Qorvo,
creating a new leader in the world of RF. To learn more, visit www.qorvo.com.
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by Jack Browne
Thermal management
of high-power
GaN devices and
components can
ensure expected
performance levels
and reliability over
long operating lifetimes.
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9
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Measuring Heat
Effectively channeling heat away from a GaN device or
component requires not only a means to model the thermal
path but also some way to measure the effectiveness
of the heat dispersion once the path has been designed
and fabricated. Infrared microscopes have traditionally
been used to check the thermal characteristics of
semiconductors and circuits, although such measurement
tools can be limited when evaluating the micronsized hotspots possible in GaN-based circuitry. Still, IR
microscopes can reveal any areas of concern on the
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Figure 2: Plastic
Packages for GaN
GaN die Epoxy attach
Cu leadframe
Overmold
Via hole
array
PCB
surface of a GaN chip-level device and its SiC substrate or on the surface of a
GaN device or component package. Newer IR microscopes have been developed
with pixel sizes as small as 6.25 m for spatial resolution as ne as 10 m to
better isolate hotspots and thermal problems in GaN devices and component. IR
microscopes are also useful tools for characterizing the effects of temperature
cycling used to evaluate the robustness and reliability of the thermal path and
its interfaces, such as performing more than 800 cycles across the temperature
range from -40 to +125C to check for material changes.
For packaged GaN devices and components, the package is a signicant
portion of the thermal path. Traditionally, such packages have been expensive,
made of metal-ceramic and other thermally conductive materials, but providing
excellent heat dissipation. Newer packaged GaN products, as part of efforts to
reduce costs, have incorporated plastic packages capable of respectable heat
dissipation (Fig. 2). By optimizing the transistor die layout within the package,
combined with advanced heat-sinking and die-attachment techniques, these
plastic-packaged GaN devices approach the thermal capabilities of GaN devices
in metal-ceramic housings, but at a fraction of the cost. The plastic GaN
packages are also considerably lighter than their metal-ceramic counterparts,
which can make a difference in some mobile electronic designs and systems
with large numbers of GaN devices, such as large radars.
Ultimately, because GaN offers such outstanding electrical properties
at high frequencies compared to older semiconductor technologies, such as
Si and GaAs, the challenge to achieve effective thermal management will
encourage the development of lower-cost device and component packages
that can still dissipate large amounts of heat at high power levels. GaN devices
and components will be used in ever-increasing numbers and with improving
techniques for thermal management to ensure longer operating lifetimes.
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by Jean-Jacques DeLisle
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SiC MESFET
100
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Multiple
Competing
Technologies
1000
Power (Watts)
GaN HEMT
Silicon
GaAs HBT
10
GaAs HEMT
0.1
1
10
Frequency (GHz)
25
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100
10
Figure 2: Constant PA
Supply and Envelope
Tracking PA Supply
Constant PA supply voltage
Unused energy
PA input signal
Time
PA Trackers
To reduce the power consumption of these GaN-enhanced PA circuits,
envelope tracking (ET) can be used. This technique adjusts the supply
voltage of a PA commensurate with the instantaneous power demand of the
implemented modulation technique (Fig. 2). In doing so, it can mitigate a
high supply voltages additional power loss. An added benet of ET is that it
reduces the total thermal energy accumulation over time.
Envelope tracking works by modulating a specialized power supply,
dubbed the ET power supply (ETPS). Here, a sampling from the I/Q datas
absolute magnitude is used as a reference to a shaping table. That shaping
Time
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Envelope
detector
|X|
Shaping
table
(LUT)
V in
Envelope tracking
power supply
(ETPS)
V cc
IQ
Upconverter
RF in
PA
RF out
ET front-end
Baseband
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Pre-distortion curve
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100
Efficiency (%)
80
60
4
40
20
16
12
40
30
r=3
=3
r=1.7
20
11
100
r=1
ClassB
6
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50
10
12
0
220
60
30
0
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Products
MAGX-001214-650L00
Industrys Highest Power GaN
L-Band Radar Transistor
1214GN-600VHE
The Microsemi 1214GN-600VHE GaN on
SiC HEMT transistor brings leading-edge
performance to L-band pulsed primary radarr
designs by delivering optimum size, weight,
power, and efciency for ultimate system
performance. It delivers impressive reliable performance in a compact power
density footprint with uncompromised performance:
The MAGX-001214-650L00 is a
gold-metalized pre-matched GaN on
Silicon Carbide transistor that offers the highest peak power in the industry
for a single-ended power transistor optimized for pulsed L-Band radar
applications. The MAGX-001214-650L00 guarantees 650 W of peak power
with a typical 19.5 dB of gain and 60% efciency.
The device also boasts very high breakdown voltages which allow customers
reliable and stable operation at 50 V under more extreme load mismatch
conditions. The device is assembled in a high-performance ceramic
ange package and has undergone MACOMs rigorous qualication and
reliability testing, which offers customers state-of-the-art power with rugged
performance that is ideally suited to todays demanding radar applications.
MAMG-001214-090PSM
L-Band 90W 2-Stage Fully Matched
GaN Surface Mount Laminate
Package
1011GN-1200V
The new Microsemi 1011GN-1200V is designed for the most demanding
1030/1090MHz avionics and ground-based secondary radar systems
transmitters. With unparalleled 1200W peak output power, 18dB gain,
and 75% drain efciency this versatile single-ended 50V L-band GaN on
SiC HEMT transistor device is the ideal choice. Whether transponder,
interrogator, TCAS, and/or IFF pulsing formats, the 1011GN-1200V
delivers optimum size, weight, power, and efciency. A four-in-parallel
output stage enables >4KW with margin, making the device the perfect
choice for engineers designing next-generation IFF as well as other multikilowatt power ampliers.
Freescale MMRF5014H
The industrys most advanced RF power technologies and broadest RF portfolionow enabled for superior performance in military and
defense applications. The MMRF5014H is a 125 watt CW GaN on SiC RF transistor designed for wideband ampliers in applications such as
radar, jammers, electronic warfare and military radios. With >12dB wideband gain and extreme ruggedness, the wideband performance of this
device makes it ideal for large-signal, common-source amplier applications for linear and compressed amplier circuits operating up to 2690
MHz. To accommodate the defense industrys SWaP needs while not compromising performance, the MMRF5014H is designed on a compact
circuit, and is offered on Freescales Product Longevity Program. Go to Freescale.com/RFmilitary to learn more.
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Products
TGA2578-CP
TriQuints TGA2578-CP is a world-class, broadband
MMIC HPA using our GaN on SiC production
technology. Operating from 2-6GHz and delivering
30W of saturated power under CW operation, the
TGA2578-CP is ideal for EW, S and C-band radar,
as well as, various instrumentation needs. High power gain of 22dB helps
reduce the need for additional gain stages; whereas, PAE of >30% eases
demand on system power and supports good thermal management.
The TGA2578-CP is offered in a TriQuint-developed, pure copper base
package that can be bolted down or soldered for superior thermal transfer to
the system heat sink. Further simplifying system integration, the TGA2578CP is also fully matched to 501 with DC blocks on both RF ports. For further
electrical and export information, please click here.
TGF3015-SM
TriQuints TGF3015-SM is a world-class, broadband
501 input matched transistor using our GaN on SiC
production technology. Operating from 30MHz-3GHz
and delivering 10W of saturated power under CW
operation, the TGF3015-SM is ideal for milcom, EW,
S-band radar, as well as, various instrumentation needs. The integrated input
matching network enables wideband gain and power performance, while the
output can be matched on board to optimize power and efciency for any
region within the band.
The TGF3015-SM is offered in an industry-standard 3x3 plastic QFN
package that saves real estate of already space-constrained handheld radios
and radar systems. Wideband evaluation boards are available upon request.
For further electrical and export information, please click here.
Resources
MACOM:
To learn more about GaN, visit:
GaN Page
GaN Manifesto
GaN Videos
Download Manifesto
Freescale:
Video from IMS
Learn more about Freescales RF Power Solutions for Defense
Learn more about Product Longevity
TriQuint:
TriQuint GaN Brochure
TriQuint GaN Thermal Analysis for
High-Performance Systems FAQ
Microsemi:
Richardson:
Download eBook
GaN Technology
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Advertisement
Company Profile
Microsemi High Power 50V GaN Pulsed Models for Avionics & Radar
Avionics
L-Band
C-Band
Application
Model Number
Frequency
Pulse
Width
Duty
Cycle
Pout
Min
Gain
Typ
Efciency
Typ
DME/TACAN
Mode-S ELM
IFF
Long Range Radar
High Efciency LLR
Heavy Pulsing Radar
Primary Radar
Primary Radar
Primary Radar
0912GN-650V
MDSGN-750ELMV
1011GN-1200V
1214GN-550V
1214GN-600VHE
1214GN-500LV
2731GN-400V
3135GN-400V
5359GN-120V
960-1215 MHz
1030/1090 MHz
1030/1090 MHz
1.2-1.4 GHz
1.2-1.4 GHz
1.2-1.4 GHz
2.7-3.1 GHz
3.1-3.5 GHz
5.3-5.9 GHz
128 us
ELM
32 us
300 us
300 us
1.5 ms
200 us
200 us
100 us
10 %
6%
2%
10 %
10 %
25%
10 %
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650 W
750 W
1200 W
550 W
600 W
500 W
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380 W
120 W
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60 %
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