Microwave noise performance of AlGaN/GaN HEMTs

The authors have characterized the microwave noise performance of AlGaN/GaN HEMTs epitaxially grown on insulating SiC substrates. The minimum noise figure for 0.25 mu m gate-length devices was measured to be 0.77dB at 5 GHz and 1.06dB at 10 GHz. The measured minimum noise figures are comparable to those exhibited by GaAs-based FETs, which demonstrates the viability of AlGaN/GaN HEMTs for low-noise applications.