High Frequency Electronics Group

High-Frequency III-V Transistors:

Exploiting the superior transport properties on InP, we are developing transistors with 500 GHz cutoff frequencies. Transistor bandwidth is extended through epitaxial, lithographic, and contact resistivity scaling. We explore the limits of transistor bandwidth. We also develop manufacturable device structures & processes.

Ultra-High Frequency ICs:

Exploiting the transistors we have developed, we explore the limits of high frequency circuits. We seek to attain digital well above 200 GHz, to build amplifiers above 300 GHz, to build oscillators above 500 GHz. We seek to show that complex and functionally sophisticated circuits can operate at frequencies well above 200 GHz. We also seek to exploit wideband transistors to improve lower-frequency (microwave) systems.

mm-wave Silicon ICs:

Both Si CMOS and SiGe BiCMOS processes offer 250 GHz transistor cutoff frequencies (2005). While noise and breakdown are poorer than comparable III-V processes, there are key emerging mm-wave applications for which the large feasible integration scales of CMOS are a decisive advantage. These include short-range Gb/s mm-wave radio, 40 Gb/s fiber optics, and sensor networks.