Half-Micrometer Gate-Length Ion-Implanted GaAs MESFET with 0.8-dB Noise Figure at 16 GHz

Ion-implanted GaAs MESFET’s with half-micrometer gate length have been fabricated on 3-in-diameter GaAs substrates. At 16 GHz, a minimum noise figure of 0.8 dB with an associated gain of 6.3 dB has been measured. This noise-figure result is the lowest ever reported for 0.5- and 0.25-µm ion-implanted MESFET’s, and it is comparable to that for 0.25-µm HEMT’s at this frequency. By using the Fukui equation and the fitted equivalent circuit model, a Kffactor of 1.4 has been obtained. These results clearly demonstrate the potential of ion-implanted MESFET technology for K-band low-noise integrated circuit applications.