A Cryogenic Scalable Small-Signal & Noise Model of GaN HEMTs

Paper in proceeding, 2022

We present a detailed study of a scalable small signal and noise model at the cryogenic temperature of ~10 K of Gallium Nitride (GaN) - based High Electron Mobility Transistors (HEMTs). The results confirm a clear potential of the GaN technology for the cryogenic low noise applications as the model predicts a minimum noise temperature of ~ 4 K at the physical temperature of ~ 10 K. The improvement of the noise cryogenic performances is attributed to the decrease of the access resistances and the enhancement of the electron transport mechanisms. Moreover, the scalability of the model over the measured different gate peripheries is explored and provides new insights on the possibilities of further optimization of this technology for the cryogenic and low noise operation. Potentially, GaN HEMTs would provide enhanced dynamic range with the noise performance similar to InP devices.