4-GHz 15-W power GaAs MESFET

High-field behavior of GaAs MESFET´s such as drain-source breakdown characteristics and visible light emission and a model explaining these phenomena are described. An FET structure with a high drain-source breakdown voltage in excess of 26 V has been developed following an analysis of the high-field behavior of the device. Typical characteristics of the fabricated devices at 4 GHz are as follows: Pout= 9.6 W Ga= 5 dB ηadd= 33.6 percent at 18 V from single chip (WG= 13 mm) Pout= 15 W Ga= 5 dB ηadd= 28.3 percent at 22 V from two chip (WG= 26 mm) where Pout, Ga, ηadd, and WGindicate the output power, associated power gain, power added efficiency, and total gate width of the FET´s, respectively.