| High performance RF power switches are the key elements of nearly all modern radio-frequency (RF) systems. Until recently, most of the RF power switches have been realized with Si or GaAs materials. In most of the RF communication, radar and other systems the requirements for RF switches include low insertion loss, high isolation, very high power handling capabilities, and high operating temperatures, which cannot be met simultaneously using Si or GaAs due to fundamental material limitations. AlGaN/GaN based Heterostructure-Field-Effect-Transistors (HFETs) have demonstrated superior performance in RF high power switching application due to higher current density and breakdown voltage. However the performance of AlGaN/GaN RF switches is limited by several fabrication issues and required control voltages.; This dissertation presents a novel class of RF switches based on Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor-Heterostructure (MOSH) AlGaN/GaN devices, which offers drastic improvement in the RF switch maximum powers, operating temperatures and overall performance and allows for simple fabrication technology ideally suitable for microwave integrated circuits. This dissertation presents the results of new device design, modeling, fabrication and characterization, as well as an implementation in monolithic integrate circuits. |
