RF Frontend Design (RFE) on Gallium Nitride on Silicon (GaN-on-Si) Open Topic

Objective: The objective is to design, develop, and demonstrate a low-noise amplifier (LNA) and power amplifier (PA) in a commercially available state-of-the-art GlobalFoundries (GF) 200-mm Gallium Nitride on Silicon technology (130RFG1) to improve higher output power density, linearity, and efficiency in radio communications systems for potential military and commercial applications. Description: In radio communication system, the RFE of the transceiver typically handles the receive and transmit function portion, whereas the baseband signal processing is typically implemented with digital logic. The radio communication system sensitivity requirements and output power are primarily dependent on the performance of the frontend circuit blocks, specifically the low-noise amplifiers (LNAs) and power amplifiers (PAs). Most of the current radar and military communication systems utilize either Gallium Nitride (GaN) or other types of group III-V semiconductor technologies for the RF frontend (RFE) circuitry of the radio to achieve high output power and sensitivity performance [1] [2]. There are disparate GaN chips available in discrete form for PAs and LNAs from commercial vendors, however, there are currently no monolithic 200-mm GaN-on-Si technology solution for scaled integration [3] [4]. To address this gap, GlobalFoundries is developing a new innovative GaN-on-Si technology production capability with access to Multi-Project Wafer (MPW) prototyping run [5]. Additionally, GlobalFoundries partnered with Finwave semiconductor to provide disruptive RF performance solutions and accelerate product development for commercial mobile handset and currently there are no integrated scaled solution set for PAs and LNAs in the 200-mm GaN-on-Si technology space for dual use applications [6]. The advantages of GaN are the excellent physical properties such as higher electron mobility and current density compared to traditional silicon-based technology; and makes the device material an attractive solution for use in power amplifiers (PAs) designs to achieve high output handling capabilities [7]. Due to the wide bandgap property of Gallium Nitride, the material is fundamentally superior for use in RF systems and can achieved higher breakdown voltages, output power, and power efficiency. The power delivery and efficiency of Gallium Nitride (GaN) devices are unmatched compared to other similar technologies and has superior RF performance capabilities. The size, weight, area, and power (SWaP) can be further achieved by leveraging GaN-on-Si technology by integrating the front-end functions into radio communication systems to achieve higher output power density and efficiency [8]. Further, the GaN-on-Si technology can enable large-scaled integration and cost efficiency using silicon substrates providing competitive advantages and disruptive RF performance overmatch [9][10]. Keywords: Gallium Nitride, GaN, HEMT, GaN-on-Si, MMIC, monolithic microwave integrated circuit, low-noise amplifier, power amplifier, LNA, PA