Small-signal Equivalent Circuit Research Articles

Influence of the Bias Voltage on Effective Electron Velocity in AlGaN/GaN High Electron Mobility Transistors.

The small-signal S parameters of the fabricated double-finger gate AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) were measured at various direct current quiescent operating points (DCQOPs). Under active bias conditions, small-signal equivalent circuit (SSEC) parameters such as Rs and Rd, and intrinsic parameters were extracted. Utilizing fT and the SSEC parameters, the effective electron velocity (νe-eff) and intrinsic electron velocity (νe-int) corresponding to each gate bias (VGS) were obtained. Under active bias conditions, the influence mechanism of VGS on νe-eff was systematically studied, and an expression was established that correlates νe-eff, νe-int, and bias-dependent parasitic resistances. Through the analysis of the main scattering mechanisms in AlGaN/GaN HEMTs, it has been discovered that the impact of VGS on νe-eff should be comprehensively analyzed from the aspects of νe-int and parasitic resistances. On the one hand, changes in VGS influence the intensity of polar optical phonon (POP) scattering and polarization Coulomb field (PCF) scattering, which lead to changes in νe-int dependent on VGS. The trend of νe-int with changes in VGS plays a dominant role in determining the trend of νe-eff with changes in VGS. On the other hand, both POP scattering and PCF scattering affect νe-eff through their impact on parasitic resistance. Since there is a difference in the additional scattering potential corresponding to the additional polarization charges (APC) between the gate-source/drain regions and the region under the gate, the mutual effects of PCF scattering on the under-gate electron system and the gate-source/drain electron system should be considered when adjusting the PCF scattering intensity through device structure optimization to improve linearity. This study contributes to a new understanding of the electron transport mechanisms in AlGaN/GaN HEMTs and provides a novel theoretical basis for improving device performance.

Small-Signal Equivalent Circuit Model as a Tool for Optimizing Millimeter-Wave Detection With FETs

Small-Signal Equivalent Circuit Model as a Tool for Optimizing Millimeter-Wave Detection With FETs

Neuron circuit made of a single locally-active memristor

Neuromorphic computing, inspired by the human brain’s architecture, is expected to break the physical limits of transistors and von Neumann bottleneck. The multiple internal state variables of higher-order memristors (second-order or above) possess dynamic complexity and adaptability, enabling them to mimick the characteristics of biological neurons, which are very important building blocks for neuromorphic computing. This paper presents a simple neuron circuit containing a single second-order current-controlled locally-active memristor (LAM). The pinched hysteresis loop and DC V–I curve of the proposed second-order LAM show good odd symmetry. Applying small signal analysis method, we obtain the small-signal equivalent circuit of the neuron circuit, showing a [Formula: see text] parallel structure and an edge of chaos kernel in its locally-active domain. Also, we draw a parameter classification of the neuron circuit, showing four symmetrical edge of chaos domains, which plays an important role in biphasic action potentials. Finally, we demonstrate that the simple neuron circuit can produce monophasic action potentials, biphasic action potentials and co-existing neuromorphic phenomena via subcritical Hopf bifurcation with different input, verifying the simple circuit is suitable as artificial neurons.

A novel method to determine bias-dependent source and drain parasitic series resistances in AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors

The AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) with T-gate that suitable for high frequency applications were fabricated. A novel method to extract the bias-dependent source and drain parasitic series resistances (Rs and Rd) of AlGaN/GaN HEMTs is proposed. By analyzing the distributed capacitance and current generator network in the velocity saturated regions of the AlGaN/GaN HEMTs, a new restriction relationship between small-signal equivalent circuit elements is found. The Rs and Rd can be determined under active bias through wideband S-parameter measurements, which can better reflect the physical mechanism of AlGaN/GaN HEMTs under normal operation. The S-parameters and extrinsic transconductance calculated based the small-signal equivalent circuit element values extracted by the method proposed in this paper are very consistent with the experimental values, which reflects the accuracy of this element extraction method. In this paper, the physical mechanism that causes Rs and Rd to vary with bias voltage is also studied. This study has a deeper insight into the bias-dependence of Rs and Rd, which modifies the understanding for physical mechanisms of AlGaN/GaN HEMTs. The research results provide new ideas for establishing small-signal equivalent circuit models containing more physical effects and is of great significance to GaN-based integrated circuit design.

A novel small-signal equivalent circuit model for GaN HEMTs incorporating a dual-field-plate

An accurate and novel small-signal equivalent circuit model for GaN high-electron-mobility transistors (HEMTs) is proposed, which considers a dual-field-plate (FP) made up of a gate-FP and a source-FP. The equivalent circuit of the overall model is composed of parasitic elements, intrinsic transistors, gate-FP, and source-FP networks. The equivalent circuit of the gate-FP is identical to that of the intrinsic transistor. In order to simplify the complexity of the model, a series combination of a resistor and a capacitor is employed to represent the source-FP. The analytical extraction procedure of the model parameters is presented based on the proposed equivalent circuit. The verification is carried out on a 4 × 250 μm GaN HEMT device with a gate-FP and a source-FP in a 0.45 μm technology. Compared with the classic model, the proposed novel small-signal model shows closer agreement with measured S-parameters in the range of 1.0 to 18.0 GHz.

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.

New Approaches for Realizing Transconductance-boosted VDTA Structures

This paper presents two new transconductance-boosted architectures of the voltage differencing transconductance amplifier (VDTA). The first architecture (VDTA-I) relies on the technique of transconductance enhancement using partial positive feedback which is realized through negative impedance implemented using a cross-coupled amplifier. The second architecture (VDTA-II) incorporates the concept of gate-to-source voltage enhancement using an inverting amplifier for transconductance boosting. Detailed mathematical formulations for computing transconductance gain and bandwidth are presented using high-frequency small-signal equivalent circuits of both propositions. The functionality of the proposals is validated through SPICE simulations using TSMC 0.18[Formula: see text][Formula: see text]m technology parameters. Both DC and AC analyses are carried out through simulations. An enhancement in transconductance gain of 140% is observed for VDTA-I whereas for VDTA-II it is found to be 53% in comparison to the conventional VDTA. The 3[Formula: see text]dB frequencies are recorded to be 160 and 630[Formula: see text]MHz, respectively. The PVT analyses are also carried out to test the efficacy of both propositions.

Impact of Graded AlGaN Buffer Layer Thickness on the DC, RF, Linearity, Intermodulation and Off-State Breakdown Characteristics of AlGaN Channel HEMT

This study examines the extraction of small-signal equivalent circuit parameters, linearity and intermodulation metrics, and capacitance–voltage characteristics for both AlGaN and GaN channel HEMTs. Compared to GaN channel HEMTs, AlGaN channel HEMTs have better linearity and intermodulation distortion. In the instance of AlGaN channel HEMTs, the device parasitics are decreased. Additionally, the effect of graded AlGaN buffer layer thickness on breakdown characteristics and linearity is examined. For breakdown characteristics, the 200 nm-graded AlGaN buffer layer thickness yields superior results with VBOff 157 V for a thickness of 200 nm (147 V in the case of 500 nm). At 200 nm thickness, the linearity and intermodulation distortion FOMs are also reasonably good, and the remaining device properties are essentially unchanged. Hence, the graded AlGaN buffer thickness can be reduced for high-voltage applications. For higher-voltage applications, the graded AlGaN buffer thickness can, therefore, be decreased.

Low quiescent current LDO with FVF-based PSRR enhanced circuit for EEG recording wearable devices

This paper presents a low quiescent current low-dropout regulator (LDO) with an auxiliary amplifier, flipped voltage follower (FVF)-based power supply rejection ratio enhanced circuit (FBPEC) for electroencephalogram (EEG) recording devices. The FBPEC comprises a FVF filter, current mirror, and common-source amplifier. The FBPEC exploits the characteristics of FVF filter to reduce the current consumption and increase the gain at specific frequencies. The small-signal equivalent circuit reveals the dominant pole of the FBPEC, which is affected by the output impedance and load capacitance of the common-source amplifier. The proposed LDO is designed using a 0.18 μm CMOS process and has improved power supply rejection ratio (PSRR) up to 18 dB at frequencies above 10 kHz compared to the general LDO. The proposed LDO has a low no-load quiescent current 648 nA and a good figure-of-merit score compared to those of previous works, proving that the proposed circuit is an effective solution for use in wearable EEG recording devices.

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.

Analog CMOS Design in Nanometer Regime

There is no doubt that the short-channel effects have affected the analysis and design of modern analog CMOS integrated circuits significantly. Thus, models that take into account these effects must be adopted in order to obtain more accurate results. In this paper, the AC small-signal low-frequency equivalent circuit of the short-channel MOSFET transistor is developed using an appropriate model. The impact of short-channel effects on the operation of basic building blocks of analog integrated circuits such as basic amplifier configurations, cascode stage, differential amplifier and composite transistor is investigated quantitatively. Additionally, the nonlinear distortion is investigated using the adopted model.

Novel T-Shaped Gate Structure of AlGaN/GaN HEMTs on Si for RF Application

Due to the high electron saturation velocity and breakdown electric field, GaN-based high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) have been widely used in high frequency and power application, such as telecommunication, satellite communication, and radar system [1]. Since first demonstration of AlGaN/GaN HEMTs in 1993 [2], the RF performance of these device has continuously improved by the progress on epitaxy and device scaling technology [3].The current gain cut-off frequency (fT) and the maximum oscillation frequency (fmax) from the small-signal equivalent circuit of the HEMT are derived by the following equations [4].From these equations, it can be concluded that in order to achieve high frequency operation, HEMTs should be designed with a T-shaped gate structure that simultaneously achieves low gate resistance (Rg) and low parasitic capacitance (Cgs and Cgd). However, there are complex fabrication processes to form the T-shaped gate. Typically, the T-shaped gate structure is implemented through electron beam lithography process using a tri-layer resist such as PMMA/PMGI/PMMA, which requires multiple exposures or developments. Multiple exposures can cause overlay errors that can significantly affect the T-shaped gate with smaller gate lengths [5]. Also, it is difficult to obtain an undercut structure that enables a good lift-off and guarantees a high yield due to the need for precise dose control. In addition, since the T-shaped gate has an unstable structure in which a narrow foot supports the weight of a wide head, the gate may collapse during a subsequent process.In this work, we fabricated a novel T-shaped gate using the negative e-beam resist HSQ, which offers a simple T-shaped gate fabrication process. The HSQ that was exposed to e-beam is located underneath the gate head and on both sides of the gate foot in our novel T-shaped gate design, providing a robust structure. The HSQ-assisted gate HEMTs exhibit comparable DC/RF performance compared to conventional T-shaped gate HEMTs. Acknowledgement This work was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant funded by the Korea government (MIST) (No. NRF-2021M3C13097672).

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.

An Aging Small-Signal Model for Degradation Prediction of Microwave Heterojunction Bipolar Transistor S-Parameters Based on Prior Knowledge Neural Network.

In this paper, an aging small-signal model for degradation prediction of microwave heterojunction bipolar transistor (HBT) S-parameters based on prior knowledge neural networks (PKNNs) is explored. A dual-extreme learning machine (D-ELM) structure with an adaptive genetic algorithm (AGA) optimization process is used to simulate the fresh S-parameters of InP HBT devices and the degradation of S-parameters after accelerated aging, respectively. In addition to the reliability parametric inputs of the original aging problem, the S-parameter degradation trend obtained from the aging small-signal equivalent circuit is used as additional information to inject into the D-ELM structure. Good agreement was achieved between measured and predicted results of the degradation of S-parameters within a frequency range of 0.1 to 40 GHz.

Dynamics of a fractional order locally-active Memristor with applications in oscillatory systems* *This work is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No: 52077160) and the Natural Science Foundation of Shaanxi Province (Grant No: 2022JQ-661).

A non-volatile fractional-order Memristor, with two asymptotically stable equilibrium points and locally-active characteristic is presented. A fractional-order small-signal equivalent circuit is used to describe the memristor’s characteristics at an operating point within a locally-active region. Via the equivalent circuit, the memristor is shown to possess an edge of chaos within a voltage range; when connected in series with an inductor, it generates periodic oscillation about the locally-active operating point in the edge of chaos. The oscillating frequency and the external inductance are determined by the small-signal circuit’s admittance. Adding external capacitors and inductors in series/parallel with the memristor, three- and four-dimensional circuits are realized which generates chaotic oscillations. Analysis of the resulting three- and four-dimensional circuits are carried out at the memristor’s equilibrium point, the effects of the memristor’s parameters and the fractional order indexes of the added components on the system dynamics are also investigated using Lyapunov and bifurcation analysis. Numerical simulations show the versatility of the memristor for usages in oscillatory systems.

An MMIC LNA for Millimeter-Wave Radar and 5G Applications with GaN-on-SiC Technology.

This paper presents a monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) low noise amplifier (LNA) that is compatible with n257 (26.5-29.5 GHz) and n258 (24.25-27.5 GHz) frequency bands for fifth-generation mobile communications system (5G) and millimeter-wave radar. The total circuit size of the LNA is 2.5 × 1.5 mm2. To guarantee a trade-off between noise figure (NF) and small signal gain, the transmission lines are connected to the source of gallium nitride (GaN)-on-SiC high electron mobility transistors (HEMT) by analyzing the nonlinear small signal equivalent circuit. A series of stability enhancement measures including source degeneration, an RC series network, and RF choke are put forward to enhance the stability of designed LNA. The designed GaN-based MMIC LNA adopts hybrid-matching networks (MNs) with co-design strategy to realize low NF and broadband characteristics across 5G n257 and n258 frequency band. Due to the different priorities of these hybrid-MNs, distinguished design strategies are employed to benefit small signal gain, input-output return loss, and NF performance. In order to meet the testing conditions of MMIC, an impeccable system for measuring small has been built to ensure the accuracy of the measured results. According to the measured results for small signal, the three-stage MMIC LNA has a linear gain of 18.2-20.3 dB and an NF of 2.5-3.1 dB with an input-output return loss better than 10 dB in the whole n257 and n258 frequency bands.

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.