Small-signal Equivalent Circuit Model Research Articles

Research on ultrawideband photodetector module based on parasitic parameter regulation.

A four-channel ultrawideband photodetector (PD) module with a size of 26.1 mm ×33.2 mm × 8.5 mm has been demonstrated in our laboratory. We propose a method to improve the bandwidth of the PD module based on compensating parasitic parameters by dual resistance regulation on the P and N terminals of the PD chip. A small signal equivalent circuit model with package matching network is established for the PD module, and the effectiveness of the proposed method and the accuracy of the model are verified by experiments. A four-channel photodetector module with a -3 dB bandwidth of up to 67 GHz is fabricated by using photodetector chips with -3 dB bandwidths of 46 GHz, and the responsivity is up to 0.50A/W.

Small-signal equivalent circuit model of GaN-based nanodiodes at low temperature including trap-related low frequency dispersion

The small-signal equivalent circuit of GaN-based self-switching diodes has been obtained, which apart from the intrinsic R‖C branch, generally used to describe the diode performance, needs new elements to describe the low-frequency dispersion of the impedance originated by the presence of surface and bulk traps. The proposed model allows us to reproduce not only the high-frequency results (extracted from S-parameter measurements in the 40 MHz–43.5 GHz range) at room temperature, but also the low-frequency impedance measurements (75 kHz–30 MHz) at cryogenic temperatures down to 70 K. These new elements are a self-inductance associated to the effect of surface states (typical of a device with a high surface-to-volume ratio) and an extra series R–C branch modeling the influence of the bulk traps.

An Ameliorated Small-Signal Model Parameter Extraction Method for GaN HEMTs up to 110 GHz with Short-Test Structure

An improved method of extracting small-signal equivalent circuit model parameters for gallium nitride high electron mobility transistors (GaN HEMTs) is presented. This paper intends to present a method to extract the parasitic inductance and resistance of transistors based on the short-test structure without the open-circuit test structure. The parasitic capacitance of transistors is extracted by the method based on the size scalable model. Compared with the traditional COLD-FET method, the extraction procedure is simpler and more convenient. After removing the influence of parasitic elements, the intrinsic parameters of the model can be extracted by the S-parameters measured at different bias points. The experimental results show that the simulation results have good agreement with the measured results in the range of 0.5∼110 GHz.

Ion-Sensitive Stainless Steel Vessel for All-Solid- State pH Sensing System Incorporating pH-Insensitive Diamond Solution Gate Field-Effect Transistors

An all-solid-state pH sensing system utilizing a stainless steel vessel (SUS304) and a pH-insensitive diamond solution-gate field-effect transistor (SGFET) is presented here to explain the interaction between stainless steel vessel and field-effect transistor (FET) pH sensors for the first time. A pH sensitive ion-sensitive field-effect transistor (ISFET) was first used to show the change of the sensing behavior from 47.78 mV/pH to -4.73 mV/pH when using an Ag/AgCl electrode and stainless steel vessel as the gate, respectively. This intriguing sensing behavior was investigated by developing large and small-signal equivalent circuit models in a transistor circuit for both the Ag/AgCl and the stainless steel vessel gate. The result shows that the targeted ion change ΔQ <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">h</sub> corresponding to the pH sensitivity has been offset which explains the phenomenon observed when using the pH sensitive ISFET with the stainless steel vessel. We then hypothesize that combining a pH insensitive device with the stainless steel vessel gate should show a pH sensitivity close to the Nernst response. To validate this, a pH insensitive diamond SGFET was then fabricated and combined with the stainless steel vessel for pH measurements. The system demonstrates a high pH sensitivity at -54.18 mV/pH across a wide range of pH solutions (pH 2-12) and remains stable in elevated temperatures when measured with a potentiostat setup at 80 °C. The results also suggest that this all-solid-state sensing system has great potential to be used in the food and beverage industry where stainless steel is widely employed due to its excellent corrosion resistance, low cost, and high sensing capabilities.

Small Signal Equivalent Circuit Model of MESFET with Effect of Transmission Line

For the design of Integrated Circuit GaAs MESFET is Suitable by considering the transmission line character of the gate length at high frequencies. In the conducting channel, a stationary high field domain under saturation current condition. Small signal equivalent circuit of the channel is derived and equivalent circuit has been optimized by simulating average S-parameters for the process calculated between 1-65GHZ and 150 nm gate length of the device.

40.1-GHz sub-freezing 850-nm VCSEL: microwave extraction of cavity lifetimes and small-signal equivalent circuit modeling.

We present an 850-nm vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) constructed for a wide operating temperature range from 25°C to -50°C sub-freezing temperature, demonstrating 40.1-GHz at -50°C. The optical spectra, junction temperature, and microwave equivalent circuit modeling of a sub-freezing 850-nm VCSEL between -50°C and 25°C are also discussed. Reduced optical losses, higher efficiencies, and shorter cavity lifetimes at sub-freezing temperatures are the leading causes of the improved laser output powers and bandwidths. The e-h recombination lifetime and the cavity photon lifetime are shortened to 113 and 4.1 ps, respectively. Could potentially supercharge VCSEL-based sub-freezing optical links for applications in frigid weather, quantum computing, sensing, aerospace, etc.

An Accurate Model for InP HEMT Small-Signal Equivalent Circuit Based on EM Simulation

A high-reliability small-signal equivalent circuit model for indium-phosphide-based high-electron-mobility transistors (InP-based HEMTs) is proposed. A de-embedding scheme for the representative structure is utilized in this model with an electromagnetic simulation approach to consider the distributed extrinsic parasitic elements. The intrinsic part of the small-signal model is directly extracted with the Y-parameter of the intrinsic two-port network. The extraction of the parametric elements was performed under different biases and three different gate widths ( <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$2\times 20\,\,\mu \text{m}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> , <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$2\times 30\,\,\mu \text{m}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> , and <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$2\times 50\,\,\mu \text{m}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> ), our S-parameter predictions showed good agreement with measurements in the 1–50-GHz frequency range. The proposed model performs an electromagnetic simulation of different gate-width devices, considers the devices’ distribution and radio-frequency behavior, and avoids errors caused by traditional tests’ extraction of parasitic parameters. The proposed model solves the problem that the conventional indium phosphide-based HEMT small-signal model is limited by the device topology, making the high-frequency modeling more accurate.

Analysis and Design of a 2-40.5 GHz Low Noise Amplifier With Multiple Bandwidth Expansion Techniques

This paper analyzes the main factors limiting the bandwidth expansion of low-noise amplifiers (LNA) and designs a broadband LNA with a bandwidth of 2-40.5 GHz. The LNA is designed using multiple bandwidth expansion methods, including cascode, resistance feedback, and cascode Darlington amplifier. The amplitude-frequency characteristics and bandwidth expansion principle of the three structures are studied theoretically based on the small-signal equivalent circuit model. Thanks to these techniques, a three-stage LNA is designed in a 0.15-μm GaAs pseudomorphic high-electron-mobility (pHEMT) process. The measured results show that the designed LNA achieves an average gain of 21.6 dB in 2-40.5 GHz while maintaining a noise figure (NF) below 3.6 dB. The measured output 1-dB gain compression point (OP1 dB) is from 4.5 to 12.8 dBm and the input/output return loss are better than 5 dB. The chip area is only 1.57 mm <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sup> , including input and output test pads.

Development and Modelling of Gallium Nitride Based Lateral Schottky Barrier Diodes with Anode Recesses for mmWave and THz Applications.

This paper presents novel multi-channel RF lateral Schottky-barrier diodes (SBDs) based on AlGaN/GaN on low resistivity (LR) (σ = 0.02 Q·cm) silicon substrates. The developed technology offers a reduction of 37% in onset voltage, VON (from 1.34 to 0.84 V), and 36% in ON-resistance, RON (1.52 to 0.97 to Ω·mm), as a result of lowering the Schottky barrier height, Φn, when compared to conventional lateral SBDs. No compromise in reverse-breakdown voltage or reverse-bias leakage current performance was observed as both multi-channel and conventional technologies exhibited a VBV of (VBV &gt; 30 V) and an IR of (IR &lt; 38 μA/mm), respectively. Furthermore, a precise small-signal equivalent circuit model was developed and verified for frequencies up to 110 GHz. The fabricated devices exhibited cut-off frequencies of up to 0.6 THz, demonstrating the potential use of lateral AlGaN/GaN SBDs on LR silicon for high-efficiency, high-frequency integrated circuits' applications. The paper begins with a brief outline of the basic Schottky-contact diode operation. A series resistance analysis of the diode studied in this project is discussed. The small signal equivalent circuit of the Schottky-contact diode is presented. The layout of the diodes studied is described, and their fabrication techniques are briefly mentioned. DC, RF, and low frequency C-V measurement techniques and measurements to characterize the diodes are outlined. Finally, results and discussions on the effects of multiple recesses under the Schottky-contact (anode) obtained from the I-V diode characteristics and C-V measurements, and the small signal equivalent circuit deduced from RF measurements for different diode configurations, are presented.

29 GHz single-mode vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers passivated by atomic layer deposition.

The fabrication processes of high-speed oxide-confined single-mode (SM)-vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) are complex, costly, and often held back by reliability and yield issues, which substantially set back the high-volume processing and mass commercialization of SM-VCSELs in datacom or other applications. In this article, we report the effects of Al2O3 passivation films deposited by atomic layer deposition (ALD) on the mesa sidewalls of high-speed 850-nm SM-VCSELs. The ALD-deposited film alleviates the trapping of carriers by sidewall defects and is an effective way to improve the performance of SM-VCSELs. The ALD-passivated SM-VCSELs showed statistically significant static performance improvements and reached a believed to be record-breaking SM-modulation bandwidth of 29.1 GHz. We also propose an improved microwave small-signal equivalent circuit model for SM-VCSELs that accounts for the losses attributed to the mesa sidewalls. These findings demonstrate that ALD passivation can mitigate processing-induced surface damage, enhance the performance of SM-VCSELs, and enable mass production of high-quality SM-VCSELs for mid- to long-reach optical interconnects.

Comprehensive Analysis of Linear and Nonlinear Equivalent Circuit Model for GaAs-PIN Diode

Comprehensive analysis of small-signal equivalent circuit models for GaAs-based PIN diodes is performed in this article. The analysis provides the equivalent circuit models for PIN diode operation in four different operation modes. A compact nonlinear equivalent circuit model has been developed which takes into account the dc/ac frequency dispersion of the diode dynamic resistance. In order to verify the validity of the proposed circuit model, the comparison between the modeled and measurement data is given, good fitting is obtained for GaAs-based PIN diode.

Modeling, analysis, and demonstration of a carrier-injection electro-absorption modulator at 2 µm on Ge-on-Si platform.

In this paper, a carrier-injection electro-absorption modulator (EAM) at 2 µm is demonstrated on Ge-on-Si platform. The EAM shows a compact size and high modulation efficiency due to the strong free-carrier electroabsorption (FCEA) effect in Ge. A modulation depth of 40 dB can be obtained under the injection current of only 420 mA. Small-signal frequency response measurement is performed and a small-signal equivalent circuit model is proposed. Based on reflection coefficients and equivalent circuit, the frequency response of carrier-injection EAM is discussed in detail. The 500 Mbps open eye diagram verifies the data-processing capacity of our EAM at 2 µm wavelength for its application in biological, chemical molecular detection, and infrared imaging systems.

Compact small‐signal equivalent circuit statistical analysis model of microwave wide bandgap gallium nitride high electron mobility transistors

In the fabrication process of wide bandgap gallium nitride high electron mobility transistors (GaN HEMT), due to the process error, process fluctuation, material defects, and other factors, wide bandgap semiconductor transistors produced in different batches will also have dispersed fluctuation of electrical characteristics under these special working conditions, which results in deviations between ideal software simulation parameters based on device model and the actual measurement parameters. Some statistical analysis methods like principal component analysis, factor analysis, and multivariate statistical regression in this article are introduced to process S-parameter which can be measured from different batches of CGH40010 GaN HEMT and statistical model parameters can be got from them. Error of S-parameter comparison are less than 10% between calculation results of established small-signal statistical equivalent circuit model (ECM) and S-parameter sample measurement results. Monte Carlo simulation based on statistical model can be well adopted to predict dispersed fluctuation of electrical characteristics for different samples and which can be used as the basis of large-signal ECM statistical model.

Hybrid small-signal modeling of GaN HEMTs based on improved genetic algorithm

—In this paper, an improved genetic algorithm-based hybrid direct-optimal extraction method for small-signal model of GaN HEMT devices is proposed. Simulated annealing algorithm and fuzzy adaptive strategy are incorporated into genetic algorithm for model parameter optimization, to overcome the shortcoming of conventional genetic algorithm that tend to fall into local optimum solutions. The validity of proposed algorithm is verified by using a 20-element GaN HEMT small-signal equivalent circuit model under different operating conditions. The results show that the modeled S-parameters agree well with the measured S-parameters in the frequency range of 0.5–20.5 GHz.

Temperature-Dependent Threshold Voltage Extraction of FinFETs Using Noise Measurements

In this article, a temperature-dependent threshold voltage extraction method based on noise measurement is proposed. This method induces a mathematical solution for acquiring channel temperatures ( <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$T$ </tex-math></inline-formula> ) of transistors in the saturation region to extract threshold voltages. In order to gain accurate channel temperature, a small-signal equivalent circuit model was established to determine transconductance ( <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$g_{m}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> ). Then, the extracted transconductance and measured noise power spectral density (NPSD) were used to obtain channel temperatures. On this basis, the temperature-dependent threshold voltage ( <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$V_{\mathrm {th}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> ) was derived. To validate the reliability of this method, a four-Fin six-finger N-FinFET and a four-Fin eight-finger N-FinFET were fabricated using the 14-nm bulk FinFET technology. In this study, the scattering parameters were obtained from 0.2 to 40.2 GHz. Also, the NPSDs were measured from 1 to 500 Hz, while gate voltage and drain voltage were set as 0.3, 0.49, and 0.75 V. Besides, the transistor <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$I_{\mathrm {ds}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> – <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$V_{\mathrm {ds}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> characteristics was also investigated when drain–source bias voltage changed from 0.05 to 0.9 V. Compared with the measurement results, the calculation results of drain–source current model using temperature-dependent threshold voltage achieved higher accuracy. Also, the root mean square errors (RMSEs) were less than 0.60% for four-Fin six-finger N-FinFET and less than 0.51% for four-Fin eight-finger N-FinFET. Therefore, the proposed extraction method can be applied to accurately predict transistor temperature-dependent threshold voltage.

Sub-THz Small-Signal Equivalent Circuit Model and Parameter Extraction for 3 nm Gate-All-Around Nanosheet Transistor

This paper presents a novel RF small-signal equivalent circuit model and parameter extraction for 3 nm nanosheet gate-all-around field effect transistor (GAAFET). The extrinsic parasitic effect induced by ground-signal-ground (GSG) layout is evaluated by 3D full-wave electromagnetic simulation, and an improved five-step analytical parameter extraction method is proposed for such extrinsic GSG layout. The model parameters for the intrinsic device are analytically determined with the help of nonlinear rational function fitting. The accuracy of the proposed extraction method was confirmed via comparisons between device simulator and electromagnetic simulator with frequency responses up to 300 GHz. Excellent agreement is obtained between the simulated and modeled S-parameters, and the calculated error is lower than 2.689% for the extrinsic layout, and 0.897% for the intrinsic device in the whole frequency range among multi-bias points.

Backgated Graphene Varactors With Quality Factor–Frequency Product Above 300 GHz

Back-gated, multifinger graphene RF varactors with a de-embedded quality factor frequency product, <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${Q} \boldsymbol {\times } {f}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>, above 300 GHz are demonstrated. The effect of different design parameters on the tuning ratio and quality factor at 77 K and room temperature are explored at frequencies between 1 MHz and 18 GHz. The best device has <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${Q}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> of 18.4 at 18 GHz. We also perform small signal equivalent circuit modeling on different designs to further explain the effect of design parameters on the RF performance. These results are promising for future integration of graphene varactors in high-speed analog applications.

GeSn-Based Multiple-Quantum-Well Photodetectors for Mid-Infrared Sensing Applications.

Silicon (Si)-based mid-infrared (MIR) photonics has promising potential for realizing next-generation ultra-compact spectroscopic systems for various applications such as label-free and damage-free gas sensing, medical diagnosis, and defense. The epitaxial growth of Ge1-xSnx alloy on Si substrate provides the promising technique to extend the cut-off wavelength of Si photonics to MIR range by Sn alloying. Here, we present the theory and simulation of heterojunction p-i-n MIR photodetectors (PDs) with Ge0.87Sn0.13/Ge0.92Sn0.08 quantum-wells with an additional Ge0.91Sn0.09 layer to elongate the photoabsorption path in the MIR spectrum. The incorporation of QW pairs (N) enables the light-matter interaction due to the carrier and optical confinement in the active region. As a result, the spectral response of the device is enhanced in the MIR range. Devices with varying N were compared in terms of various figure-of merits including dark-current, a photocurrent-to-dark current ratio, detectivity, spectral responsivity, and noise equivalent power (NEP). Additionally, parasitic capacitance-dependent RC and 3dB bandwidth were also studied using a small-signal equivalent circuit model. The proposed device exhibited the extended photodetection wavelength at ∼3370 nm and [Formula: see text] up to ∼7.3×103 with a dark current of ∼56.3 nA for N=8 at 300 K. At a bias of -3V, the proposed device achieved the spectral responsivity of 0.86 A/W at 2870 nm and 0.55 A/W at 3300 nm, detectivity more than 2.5×109 Jones and a NEP less than 2.1×10-13 WHz-0.5 for N=8 at 3250 nm. The calculated 3dB bandwidth of 47.8 GHz, the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and linear dynamic range (LDR) of 93 dB and 74 dB were achieved at 3300 nm for N=8 . Thus, these results indicate that the proposed GeSn-based QW p-i-n PDs pave the pathway towards the realization of new and high-performance detectors for sensing in the MIR regime.

An augmented small-signal model of InP HBT with its analytical-based parameter extraction technique

A rigorous and systematic analytical-based parameter extraction technique for the augmented small-signal equivalent-circuit model dedicated to III-V-based heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs) is presented. The proposed extraction method relies exclusively on S-parameters measured at low and high frequencies. The extraction algorithm is derived by peeling peripheral elements from the small-signal equivalent circuit with very few simplified approximations throughout the whole extraction process. All of the elements’ parameters of the small-signal equivalent-circuit model considering the base-collector and base-emitter capacitances distributed effect are determined accurately through the developed extraction technique. Excellent agreement is obtained demonstrating the comparisons between the small-signal S-parameters measured and modeled results for 0.7 μm InGaAs/InP HBTs over a wide range of bias points within the frequency range of 0.1–40 GHz, which verifies the validity and the accuracy of this model and extraction technique.

Optimal Design and Noise Analysis of High-Performance DBR-Integrated Lateral Germanium (Ge) Photodetectors for SWIR Applications

This work presents the high-performance Si/SiO2 distributed Bragg reflector (DBR)-integrated lateral germanium (Ge) p-i-n photodetectors (PDs) for atmospheric gas sensing and fiber-optic telecommunication networks in the short-wave infrared (SWIR) regime. In addition, this study also proposes an optoelectronic compact small-signal noise equivalent circuit model (SSNECM) of the designed device to compute the noise performance at the detectors&#x2019; output. Various figure-of merits including current under dark and illumination, responsivity, detectivity, bandwidth, and the noise of the proposed device are estimated at the room temperature (RT) for an incident optical power of 0.5 &#x03BC;W. Furthermore, the impact of width and height scaling on dark current, responsivity, and bandwidth are investigated to optimize the proposed device. The validation of the proposed model is done by comparing various parameters including dark current, responsivity, and detectivity of the designed device with other Ge PDs. The estimated results show the reduced trade-off between responsivity and bandwidth of the designed device. At &#x03BB;=1550 nm, the proposed device achieves a high detectivity and SNR of &#x003E;2&#x00D7;1011Jones and 120 dB (at 3 THz), respectively, with the bias voltage of -2V. These encouraging results pave the path for the future development of low-noise and high-speed detectors.