| WARF: P05082US |  |
| Solid State RF and Microwave Devices that Operate at High Power and High Frequency |
| INVENTORS | • | Zhenqiang Ma, Ningyue Jiang |
OVERVIEW
High power solid-state devices that function in the radio frequency (RF) and
microwave range are extensively used in cell phones, base stations, other
wireless communications (e.g., aircrafts), radars and remote sensing. Existing
devices made of a certain type of semiconductor material typically operate
either at high power and low frequency, or at low power and high frequency;
devices that operate at both high power and high frequency have proven extremely
difficult to make. The reason for this is that high power devices typically
employ an array of emitter (or gate) fingers to produce power, with larger
numbers of fingers generating greater power. But as more emitter
fingers are used to increase the device’s power, more heat is generated. The
heat dissipates non-uniformly across the device, leading to hotspots that cause
a slowing of the device’s frequency response, among other problems. A team
of UW-Madison engineers has now developed a device layout structure that will
allow the production of high power and high frequency solid-state RF and
microwave devices. Their design requires the precise placement of
emitter fingers to balance heat transfer across the device, reducing its peak
junction temperature and allowing it to operate at a uniform low junction
temperature. Simulated results with the new design on a silicon-based substrate
showed the frequency response of higher power devices can be made to closely
match the frequency of their low power counterparts.
KEY BENEFITS
- Provides higher operation frequencies without sacrificing power levels
- Reduces circuit complexity by reducing power amplifying stages
- Enables new communication frequency bands and broader bandwidth capabilities in high power devices
- Improves power handling capability without causing thermal instability
- Promises to increase the efficiency of power use and extend battery life in cell phones
- Extendable to any type of power device (e.g., BJT or FET) and any type of substrate (e.g., GaAs, InP or other wide bandgap substrates)
- Reduces power amplifier cost by using more inexpensive semiconductor materials (e.g., allows replacement of III-V with SiGe-based materials)
- Particularly suited to SiGe and GaAs applications
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Intellectual Property Status
Tech Fields
Electrical Engineering - Telecommunications
CONTACT INFORMATION
For current licensing status, please contact our team at
licensing@warf.org
or phone 608.262.4924. (Clicking this link will open a contact form in a popup window. If you have problems viewing the form, try disabling your popup blocker software.)
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