A TCAD approach for non-linear evaluation of microwave power transistor and its experimental verification by LDMOS

Abstract

A simulation technique is developed in TCAD to study the non-linear behavior of RF power transistor. The technique is based on semiconductor transport equations to swot up the overall non-linearity's occurring in RF power transistor. Computational load-pull simulation technique (CLP) developed in our group, is further extended to study the non-linear effects inside the transistor structure by conventional two-tone RF signals, and initial simulations were done in time domain. The technique is helpful to detect, understand the phenomena and its mechanism which can be resolved and improve the transistor performance. By this technique, the third order intermodulation distortion (IMD 3 ) was observed at different power levels. The technique was successfully implemented on a laterally-diffused field effect transistor (LDMOS). The value of IMD 3 obtained is −22 dBc at 1-dB compression point (P 1 dB ) while at 10 dB back off the value increases to −36 dBc. Simulation results were experimentally verified by fabricating a power amplifier with the similar LDMOS transistor.