Low-resistive gate module for RF GaN-HFETs by electroplating

This paper presents a novel approach for reducing the gate resistance (Rg) of K and Ka-band GaN HFETs with 150 nm gate length through a new gate metallization technique. The method involves increasing the gate cross-section via galvanic metallization using FBH's Ir-sputter gate technology, which allows an increase in gate metal thickness from the current 0.4 μm to approximately 1.0 μm for the transistors under investigation. This optimization leads to a substantial 50% reduction in gate series resistance, resulting in significant improvements in the RF performance. Specifically, the devices achieve 20% higher output power density and 10% better power-added efficiency (PAE) at 20 GHz and Vds = 20 V. The decreased gate resistance enables new degrees of freedom in design, such as longer gate fingers and/or shorter gate lengths, for more efficient power cells operating in this frequency range.