High performance RF power GaN FET technology for microwave power applications

Gallium nitride (GaN) is attracting considerable attention for microwave high-power transistor material as presented in W. L. Pribble et al. (2002), K. Joshin et al. (2003), Y. Okamoto et al. (2004), Y.-F. Wu et al. (2003) and M. Kuzuhara (2003). This is due to its unique material properties, including a wide bandgap leading to high-breakdown fields, a large high-field electron drift velocity leading to high speed, and the existence of polarization effects leading to high sheet charge density that exceeds 10¹³cm^-2. In this paper, recent progress of GaN FET technology for microwave power applications is described.