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Low-frequency noise and phase noise in MESFETS with LTG-GaAs passivation

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Abstract

We report measurements of the low-frequency noise and phase noise of conventional unpassivated GaAs metal semiconductor field-effect transistors (MESFETs) and of MESFETs fabricated using an overlapping-gate structure and the low-temperature grown (LTG) GaAs as a passivation layer. The noise of the LTG-GaAs passivated MESFET was found to behave quite differently from that of a conventional MESFET and to be significantly reduced at low offset frequencies. These observations are explained in terms of the surface passivating effect of the LTG-GaAs. Low-frequency noise measurements seem to support the idea that the LTG-GaAs passivation reduces the number of active traps, in particular traps with large activation emergies. These results indicate that LTG-GaAs passivation can substantially reduce the near-carrier phase noise of MESFET-based oscillators.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Electrical Engineering Department, University of Minnesota, 55455, Minneapolis, MN

    Yayun Lin & Arthur D. van Rheenen

  2. Lincoln Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 02173-9108, Lexington, MA

    Chang-Lee Chen & Frank W. Smith

Authors
  1. Yayun Lin
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  2. Arthur D. van Rheenen
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  3. Chang-Lee Chen
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  4. Frank W. Smith
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Lin, Y., van Rheenen, A.D., Chen, CL. et al. Low-frequency noise and phase noise in MESFETS with LTG-GaAs passivation. J. Electron. Mater. 22, 1507–1509 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02650009

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02650009

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