Article GaN-HEMTs
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Research update

GaN-based devices for advanced RF applications: a technology building block in the spotlight

Study unveils the mechanism behind ion implantation isolation of GaN HEMTs.

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Summary

Gallium-nitride (GaN) based devices integrated with GaN-on-silicon (GaN-on-Si) technology are expected to play an important role in RF/lower mmWave mobile communication.

Optimizing the devices for this application requires several technology innovations, which may be backed by a better understanding of the physics behind their operation.

In this article, Hao Yu, a researcher at imec, and Bertrand Parvais, a principal member of technical staff at imec, shed light on one of the process steps in the integration flow of GaN high-electron-mobility transistors (HEMTs): the technique of ion implantation used to isolate neighboring GaN HEMTs electrically.

With their study, the authors illustrate the significance of modeling activities to complement technology development for taking GaN-based devices to a higher level of maturity.