Preliminary Results from Phase II of the Wide Bandgap Semiconductor for RF Applications (WBGS-RF) Program

Mark Rosker¹, Harry Dietrich², Christopher Bozada³, Alfred Hung⁴ and Glen David Via⁵

¹Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) / Microsystems Technology Office (MTO)

3701 North Fairfax Drive

Arlington, VA 22203-1714

(571) 218-4507; (703) 696-2206 (FAX)

mark.rosker@darpa.mil

²Office of Naval Research

ONR Headquarters

One Liberty Center Room 1173

875 North Randolph Street

Arlington, VA 22203-1995

(703) 696-0240; (703) 696-2611 (FAX)

DietriH@onr.navy.mil

³Air Force Research Laboratory

AFRL/SNDD Bldg. 620

2241 Avionics Circle

Wright-Patterson AFB, OH 45433-7322

(937) 255-4557 ext.3376; (937) 255-8656 (FAX)

Christopher.Bozada@wpafb.af.mil

⁴Army Research Laboratory

AMSRD-ARL-SE-R

2800 Powder Mill Road

Adelphi, MD 20783-1179

(301) 394-2997; (301) 394-4576 (FAX)

ahung@arl.army.mil

⁵Air Force Research Laboratory

AFRL/SNDD Bldg 620

2241 Avionics Circle

Wright-Patterson AFB OH 45433-7322

(937) 255-1874 ext.3457; (937) 255-2306 (FAX)

glen.via@wpafb.af.mil

Abstract – This paper details the latest progress in the Wide Bandgap Semiconductors for RF Applications (WBGS-RF) program sponsored by the Microsystems Technology Office of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA/MTO). While the first phase of WBGS-RF focused on semi-insulating substrates and epitaxial growth, this phase pushes new RF capabilities in wide bandgap device fabrication, showing improvements in  power-added efficiency, gain, bandwidth, power density and reliability of wide bandgap RF power devices. Although this report gives initial DC and RF test results from sample devices, further improvement is expected as this phase of the program progresses.

Keywords: GaN, SiC, substrate, power amplifier, HEMT

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