ARL-TN-0743 ● MAR 2016

US Army Research Laboratory

Microwave Integrated Circuit Amplifier 

Designs Submitted to Qorvo for Fabrication 

with 0.09-μm High-Electron-Mobility 

Transistors (HEMTs) Using 2-mil Gallium 

Nitride (GaN) on Silicon Carbide (SiC)

by John E Penn

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ARL-TN-0743 ● MAR 2016

US Army Research Laboratory

Microwave Integrated Circuit Amplifier 

Designs Submitted to Qorvo for Fabrication 

with 0.09-μm High-Electron-Mobility 

Transistors (HEMTs) using 2-mil Gallium 

Nitride (GaN) on Silicon Carbide

by John E Penn

Sensors and Electron Devices Directorate, ARL

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1. REPORT DATE (DD-MM-YYYY)

March 2016

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Technical Note

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October 2015–January 2016

4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE

Microwave Integrated Circuit Amplifier Designs Submitted to Qorvo for 

Fabrication with 0.09-μm High-Electron-Mobility Transistors (HEMTs) using 

2-mil Gallium Nitride (GaN) on Silicon Carbide

5a. CONTRACT NUMBER

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5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER

6. AUTHOR(S)

John E Penn

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US Army Research Laboratory

ATTN: RDRL-SER-E

2800 Powder Mill Road

Adelphi, MD 20783-1138

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ARL-TN-0743

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13. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES

14. ABSTRACT

Microwave integrated circuits are essential for wireless communication and networking systems. At the high frequencies of 

approximately 30 to 45 GHz, monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMICs) are essential for compact hand-held satellite 

communications systems that provide instant, secure data and voice links in remote global regions. Small, efficient electronic 

components are needed for these, often battery powered, communications systems. The US Army Research Laboratory has 

designed several high-performance circuits and submitted them to fabrication using a prerelease research 0.09-μm gallium 

nitride (GaN) process under a cooperative research agreement with Qorvo. GaN integrated circuits have significantly 

increased power densities for MMICs over previous technologies, such as gallium arsenide and other III/V devices. GaN 

devices also offer high-power survivability and robust performance for low noise receivers. 

15. SUBJECT TERMS

MMIC, GaN, microwave, power, amplifier, HEMT

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John E Penn

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(301) 394-0423

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Contents

List of Figures iv

Acknowledgments v

1. Introduction 1

2. Layout of GaN Die 1

3. Summary of Designs 4

4. Design Rule Checking (DRC) 4

5. Summary 4

6. References 6

List of Symbols, Abbreviations, and Acronyms 7

Distribution List 8
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List of Figures

Fig. 1 CKT_ARL: broadband feedback amplifiers, one-stage power 

amplifiers (24, 32, and 45 GHz), and broadband distributed amplifier 

2.7 × 2.0 mm..........................................................................................2

Fig. 2 CKT_ARL2: one-stage power amplifier 24 GHz, voltage-controlled 

oscillator 30 GHz, oscillator 40 GHz, oscillator 60 GHz, varactor 

HEMT, shunt HEMT switch, and SPDT T/R switch 2.0 × 2.0 mm......3
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Acknowledgments

I would like to acknowledge Qorvo for the design support and fabrication of these 

gallium nitride (GaN) devices under the cooperative research agreement (CRADA)

between the US Army Research Laboratory (ARL) and Qorvo, particularly Cathy 

Lee, Qorvo’s program manager for the CRADA, and Shoqui Chen, the design 

engineer for the GAN09 process. At ARL, Khamsouk Kingkeo measured and 

provided all of the load pull and s-parameter data for the GAN09 high-electronmobility transistor devices used for these designs. Those measurements will be 

documented in a later technical report. D Ali Darwish provided lots of insight, 

particularly in trying to design the high-frequency oscillators that were part of the 

second die, CKT_ARL2. Ed Viverois has provided lots of support in all of these 

GaN modeling, measurement, and design efforts.
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INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK.
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1. Introduction

Microwave integrated circuits are essential for wireless communication and 

networking systems. At the high frequencies of approximately 30 to 45 GHz, 

monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMICs) are essential for compact handheld satellite communications (SATCOM) systems that provide instant, secure data 

and voice links in remote global regions. Small, efficient electronic components are 

needed for these, often battery powered, communications systems. Recent US 

Army Research Laboratory (ARL) designs have concentrated on power amplifier 

circuits that are essential to SATCOM links, working to improve on power 

efficiency, bandwidth, and gain of MMICs using prerelease research processes for 

gallium nitride (GaN) integrated circuits. GaN integrated circuits have significantly 

increased power densities for MMICs over previous technologies, such as gallium 

arsenide and other III/V devices. GaN devices also offer high-power survivability 

and robust performance for low-noise receivers. Future work on next-generation 

radars will be focused on lower frequencies than the previous high-frequency 

SATCOM work but will again use the advantages of new device technologies and 

design approaches for broadband, efficient, adaptable, modular circuits for future 

Department of Defense systems. 

ARL has been working with TriQuint Semiconductor Inc. (TQS), which is now part 

of Qorvo—the recent merger of TriQuint and RFMD. A cooperative research 

agreement (CRADA) between ARL and Qorvo (TQS) has provided GaN integrated 

circuit fabrication for ARL designs and ARL intellectual property. Previously, 

efforts focused on developing efficient high-power amplifiers for SATCOM 

applications, while current efforts are focused on modeling efforts, broadband 

robust front-end circuits, and other circuits across the full spectrum of front- and 

back-end communication MMICs. Several ARL-designed circuits were submitted 

for fabrication in Qorvo’s prereleased 0.09-μm GaN on 2-mil SiC process. This 

technical note gives a brief overview of the designs submitted for fabrication, which 

will be followed by a more thorough technical report on the design details of these 

circuits.

2. Layout of GaN Die

Qorvo is developing a high-frequency, high-power, 0.09-μm, high-electronmobility transistor (HEMT) GaN (GAN09) on a 2-mil-thick silicon carbide (SiC) 

integrated circuit process. Several one-stage power amplifiers for Ka-band (24 and 

32 GHz) and Q-band (45 GHz) operation were designed at ARL using Qorvo’s 

proprietary 0.09-μm GaN process. The designs primarily used a 4- × 50-μm or 
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6- × 50-μm HEMT cell using measured data and based on load pull data (8, 16, 24, 

and 32 GHz) measured at ARL. Simple one-stage designs with a single HEMT were 

designed for 24, 32, and 45 GHz. Qorvo offered to fabricate the amplifier designs 

by ARL on a single 2.7- × 2.0-mm die. This die site allowed for single-stage 4 × 50 

Q-band amplifiers at 24, 32, and 45 GHz, single-stage 6 × 50 Q-band amplifiers at 

32 and 45 GHz, a broadband distributed amplifier, and small broadband 2- × 40-

μm, 4- × 50-μm, and 6- × 50-μm feedback amplifiers as shown in Fig. 1. For 

optimal performance of the amplifiers, it is desirable to size each die appropriately 

for the intended final package and to minimize wire bond parasitics. 

Fig. 1 CKT_ARL: broadband feedback amplifiers, one-stage power amplifiers (24, 32, and 

45 GHz), and broadband distributed amplifier 2.7 × 2.0 mm
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A few weeks later, a second available die site was offered, so additional designs 

were added to this second 2.0- × 2.0-mm die site. This die site allowed for a singlestage 6 × 50 Q-band amplifier at 24 GHz, a voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) at 

30 GHz, fixed oscillators at 40 and 60 GHz, a varactor HEMT test structure, a shunt 

HEMT switch test structure, and a broadband single-pull double-throw (SPDT) 

transmit/receive (T/R) switch as shown in Fig. 2. 

Fig. 2 CKT_ARL2: one-stage power amplifier 24 GHz, voltage-controlled oscillator 30 

GHz, oscillator 40 GHz, oscillator 60 GHz, varactor HEMT, shunt HEMT switch, and SPDT 

T/R switch 2.0 × 2.0 mm
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3. Summary of Designs

Following is a list of the amplifier designs in the die layouts:

• CKT_ARL: 4- × 50-μm, 24-, 32-, and 45-GHz power amplifiers (PAs); 6-

× 50-μm, 32- and 45-GHz PAs; a 5-stage 2- × 40-μm broadband distributed 

amplifier; and a 2- × 40-μm, 4- × 50-μm, and 6- × 50-μm broadband 

feedback amplifier (2.7- × 2.0-mm die)

• CKT_ARL2: 6- × 50-μm, 24-GHz PA; a VCO at 30 GHz; fixed oscillators 

at 40 and 60 GHz; a varactor HEMT test structure; a shunt HEMT switch 

test structure; and a broadband T/R switch (2.0- × 2.0-mm die)

The amplifiers in CKT_ARL will be documented in separate technical reports. The 

feedback broadband amplifiers are similar to a design fabricated on 4-mil GaN on 

SiC, documented previously in ARL-TN-0497.1 Additional circuits added in the 

second die site, CKT_ARL2, included oscillators and switch devices, which will 

be documented in a separate technical report. 

4. Design Rule Checking (DRC)

Design rule checking (DRC) verifies all the layout information to provide for 

manufacturability. Checks for correct line widths, spacing between polygons within 

the masks, and checks for appropriate combinations of layers to ensure a successful 

design are performed with the DRC software and design rules—both provided by 

Qorvo. Since this design process is in development, the DRC rules are incomplete. 

Initially, the layouts were checked according to the process design rules supplied 

by Qorvo using a similar released process, Qorvo’s 0.15-μm GaN process on 4-mil 

SiC. Qorvo also provided the critical physical layouts of the 4- × 50-μm and 6- × 

50-μm HEMTs, and provided additional checking for their preliminary 0.09-μm 

GaN on 2-mil SiC process. Currently, they are integrating these ARL designs with 

their Qorvo internal and other external designs. There is still the possibility of an 

electrical error, even with a correct DRC check; however, these designs are 

relatively simple. Further, electromagnetic simulations of the designs based on the 

actual physical layout help to verify the correct connectivity of the passive 

elements, up to the HEMT connections. This is the first ARL submission in this 

unreleased TriQuint 0.09-μm GaN on 2-mil SiC process. 

5. Summary

ARL designed and submitted to fabrication several single-stage GaN power 

amplifiers as well as several other interesting test devices and circuit designs that 
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would be useful in future compact, efficient communications systems. Qorvo 

Semiconductor will fabricate these designs under the CRADA between ARL and 

Qorvo. Once the designs are returned, they will be tested and documented in future 

reports. These will be the first designs from ARL using early access to Qorvo’s 

high-frequency 0.09-μm GaN on 2-mil SiC research process. 

Recently, preliminary HEMT devices fabricated in the 0.09-μm GaN were 

measured for small signal (s-parameter) and power performance (load pull). When 

these amplifier designs based on measurements at 24 and 32 GHz, plus 

extrapolations to 45 GHz, are returned and tested, the results will be used to verify 

the device measurements and validate any future nonlinear models for this process. 

Some of the additional designs, especially on the second die site, were based on 

guesses and extrapolations of current released devices (e.g., 0.15-μm HEMTs). 

Models are expected to be available in the future to validate the results of HEMTs 

used for other designs, such as low-noise broadband circuits and compact highfrequency oscillators directly fabricated in GaN. Additional reports on the designs 

using this 0.09-μm GaN process (2-mil SiC) will be forthcoming.
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6. References

1. Penn J. 0.15 um GaN high dynamic range low noise amplifier microwave 

integrated circuit design. Adelphi (MD): Army Research Laboratory (US); 

2012 Oct. 
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List of Symbols, Abbreviations, and Acronyms

ARL US Army Research Laboratory

CRADA cooperative research agreement

DRC design rule checked

GaN gallium nitride

MMIC monolithic microwave integrated circuit

PA power amplifier 

HEMT high-electron-mobility transistor

SATCOM satellite communications 

SiC silicon carbide 

SPDT single-pull double-throw

TQS TriQuint Semiconductor Inc.

T/R transmit/receive

VCO voltage-controlled oscillator
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