Gallium nitride material transistors and methods associated with the same

US7352016B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Nitronex Corporation · US

Inventors

• Walter H. Nagy · Raleigh, US
• Ricardo M. Borges · Morrisville, US
• Jeffrey D. Brown · Charlotte, US
• Apurva D. Chaudhari · Raleigh, US
• James W. Cook · Raleigh, US
• Allen W. Hanson · Cary, US
• Jerry W. Johnson · Raleigh, US
• Kevin J. Linthicum · Cary, US
• Edwin L. Piner · Cary, US
• Pradeep Rajagopal · Raleigh, US
• John Claassen Roberts · Hillsborough, US
• Sameer Singhal · Stafford, GB
• Robert Joseph Therrien · Cary, US
• Andrei Vescan · Herzogenrath, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Nov 13, 2006
• Grant date: Apr 1, 2008
• Expiry date: Nov 13, 2026

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H10D62/8503

Abstract

Gallium nitride material transistors and methods associated with the same are provided. The transistors may be used in power applications by amplifying an input signal to produce an output signal having increased power. The transistors may be designed to transmit the majority of the output signal within a specific transmission channel (defined in terms of frequency), while minimizing transmission in adjacent channels. This ability gives the transistors excellent linearity which results in high signal quality and limits errors in transmitted data. The transistors may be designed to achieve low ACPR values (a measure of excellent linearity), while still operating at high drain efficiencies and/or high output powers. Such properties enable the transistors to be used in RF power applications including third generation (3G) power applications based on W-CDMA modulation.