Experimental Evaluation of Microwave Field-Effect Transistor Noise Models

Peter Heymann, Member, IEEE, Matthias Rudolph, Helmut Prinzler, Ralf Doerner, Member, IEEE, Lars Klapproth, and Georg Böck, Member, IEEE
P. Heymann, M. Rudolph, H. Prinzler, and R. Doerner
are with the Microwave Dept., Ferdinand-Braun-Institut für Höchstfrequenztechnik,
Albert-Einstein-Straße 11, D-12489 Berlin, Germany.
L. Klapproth and G. Böck
are with the FG Mikrowellentechnik, Technische Universität Berlin,
Einsteinufer 25, D-10587 Berlin, Germany.

Published in:
IEEE Trans. Microwave Theory Tech., vol. 47, pp. 156 - 163, Feb. 1999.

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Abstract:

Extensive GaAs FET noise measurements are used to compare noise models with the aim of recommending the most useful one for MMIC design. The evaluation is based on noise and S parameter measurements of MESFETs and HFETs with different gate widths in the frequency range 0.05-26 GHz. The models under investigation differ in the number of independent coefficients necessary to calculate the four noise parameters of the device. The broad frequency range including RF frequencies down to 50 MHz requires two different noise measurement systems with special modifications for optimum performance. In conclusion, the two-parameter Pospieszalski model turns out to be the most suitable one.