Collaborative Research: High-frequency, High-power Amplifier Based on Distributed Coupling of GaN HEMTs Through a SiC Substrate-integrated Waveguide

合作研究：基于 SiC 衬底集成波导的 GaN HEMT 分布式耦合的高频、高功率放大器

• 批准号: 2132323
• 负责人: James Hwang
• 金额: $ 32.5万
• 依托单位: Cornell University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2021-09-01 至 2025-02-28
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2132323&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; frequency; power; Amplifier

AbstractNontechnicalHigh-frequency, high-power sources are critical to exploiting the electromagnetic spectrum. The project may enable the next generation of millimeter-wave electronics with unprecedented bandwidth and power, while minimizing their size, weight, power consumption, cost, and failure rate. The methodologies developed to design, integrate, and fabricate high-power sources above 110 GHz, and to characterize these devices in terms of electromagnetic coupling, millimeter-wave performance, and thermal metrology can be used in the future to further improve the bandwidth and power of monolithically integrated power amplifiers to cover not only the entire millimeter-wave frequency range, but also terahertz frequencies that are not widely exploited. The substrate-integrated waveguide (SIW) platform may enable other electronic components such as high-quality filters and antennas to be monolithically integrated on a single chip, which has been difficult with conventional integrated circuits. The project directly impacts Future of Work by facilitating ubiquitous wireless communications, smart man-machine interfaces, and Internet of Things (IoT). It is estimated that wireless communications currently cover approximately 60% of the Earth surface, making Internet accessible to only about half of the world's population. 6G wireless communications enabled by millimeter-wave sources that are small, light, powerful, low cost, and reliable can extend the coverage to 100% of the Earth surface, making Internet accessible to everyone.TechnicalBased on an ultra-low-loss SiC SIW, a novel traveling-wave amplifier (TWA) is used to combine high-electron-mobility transistors (HEMTs) in a distributed manner for overcoming the power combining and impedance matching challenges of conventional monolithic millimeter-wave integrated circuits. Distributed and synchronous coupling between a quasi-transverse-electromagnetic wave on a grounded coplanar waveguide and a transverse-electric wave on an SIW is new, as is monolithic integration of SIW with transistors. This approach takes advantage of high-quality GaN grown epitaxially on SiC to achieve high-frequency, high-power performance through monolithic integration. This monolithic integration allows unprecedented precision and field strength in a distributed geometry, which is impossible to realize with conventional split-block machined parts or hybrid integration on a printed circuit board. This provides a path to high-frequency circuits with power and efficiency performance that is not otherwise attainable. As a proof-of-concept test vehicle, TWAs capable of 1-W output power at the D band (110-170 GHz) are designed, fabricated, and characterized. If successful, similar approaches can be used to generate higher powers at higher frequencies, or be implemented in other semiconductor technologies.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

摘要非技术高频、高功率电源是开发电磁频谱的关键。该项目可能使下一代毫米波电子设备具有前所未有的带宽和功率，同时将其尺寸、重量、功耗、成本和故障率降至最低。为设计、集成和制造110 GHz以上的高功率电源，并从电磁耦合、毫米波性能和热计量方面对这些设备进行表征而开发的方法，未来可用于进一步提高单片集成功率放大器的带宽和功率，不仅覆盖整个毫米波频率范围，而且覆盖尚未广泛开发的太赫兹频率。基片集成波导(SIW)平台可以使其他电子部件，如高质量的滤波器和天线，单片集成在单个芯片上，这在传统集成电路中一直是困难的。该项目通过促进无处不在的无线通信、智能人机界面和物联网(IoT)，直接影响未来的工作。据估计，目前无线通信覆盖了大约60%的地球表面，使互联网只有大约一半的世界人口可以使用。利用体积小、重量轻、功率大、成本低、可靠性高的毫米波源实现的6G无线通信可以将覆盖范围扩展到100%的地球表面，使每个人都可以接入互联网。技术基于超低损耗的SiCSiW，一种新型的行波放大器(TWA)被用来以分布式方式组合高电子迁移率晶体管(HEMT)，以克服传统单片毫米波集成电路的功率合成和阻抗匹配挑战。接地共面波导上的准横向电磁波与基片上的横向电波之间的分布同步耦合是一种新的现象，而基片集成晶体管的单片集成也是如此。这种方法利用了在碳化硅上外延生长的高质量GaN，通过单片集成实现了高频、高功率的性能。这种单片集成在分布式几何结构中实现了前所未有的精度和场强，这是传统的分块加工零件或印刷电路板上的混合集成无法实现的。这提供了一条通往高频电路的途径，其功率和效率性能是以其他方式无法实现的。作为概念验证试验车，设计、制造和表征了能够在D波段(110-170 GHz)输出1W功率的Twas。如果成功，类似的方法可以用来在更高的频率上产生更高的功率，或者在其他半导体技术中实施。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

项目成果

A Compact F-band Filter Based on SiC Substrate-integrated Waveguides

• DOI: 10.1109/apmc57107.2023.10439892
• 发表时间: 2023-12
• 期刊: 2023 Asia-Pacific Microwave Conference (APMC)
• 作者: Xiaopeng Wang;M. J. Asadi;Lei Li;Tianze Li;James C. M. Hwang;F. Thome;Peter Brückner;D. Schwantuschke

Single-sweep vs. banded characterizations of a D-band ultra-low-loss SiC substrate integrated waveguide

D 波段超低损耗 SiC 衬底集成波导的单次扫描与带状表征

• 发表时间: 2022
• 期刊: USA
• 作者: Li, L.;Reyes, S.;Asadi, M. J.;Jena, D.;Xing, H. G.;Fay, P.;Hwang, J. C.
• 通讯作者: Hwang, J. C.

A D-band frequency-doubling distributed amplifier thorugh monolithic integration of SiC SIW and GaN HEMTs

通过 SiC SIW 和 GaN HEMT 单片集成的 D 频段倍频分布式放大器

• 发表时间: 2023
• 期刊: Dec. 2023
• 作者: Li, L.;Li, T.;Fay, P.;Hwang, J. C.
• 通讯作者: Hwang, J. C.

Sub-terahertz devices and test metrology

亚太赫兹设备和测试计量

• 发表时间: 2023
• 期刊: Sep. 2023
• 作者: Li, L.;Asadi, M. J.;Li, T.;Wang, X.;Hwang, J. C.
• 通讯作者: Hwang, J. C.

Extraordinary permittivity characterization of 4H SiC at millimeter-wave frequencies

毫米波频率下 4H SiC 的非凡介电常数表征

• DOI: 10.1063/5.0148623
• 发表时间: 2023
• 期刊: Applied Physics Letters
• 影响因子: 4
• 作者: Li, Lei;Reyes, Steve;Asadi, Mohammad Javad;Fay, Patrick;Hwang, James C.
• 通讯作者: Hwang, James C.