GaN/AlGaN Solid-State Traveling-Wave Amplifier (SSTWA) Operating at W-Band

In this work, we report on the first experimental demonstration of a solid-state traveling-wave amplifier (SSTWA) based on a GaN/AlGaN superlattice heterostructure. The device employs a coplanar waveguide loaded with interdigitated electrodes that couple the RF wave to the drifting electrons confined in a 2-D electron gas (2-DEG). The amplifier is designed and validated with electromagnetic (EM) simulations to demonstrate amplification at
$W$
-band and under room temperature. Two-port measurements of the fabricated traveling-wave device revealed an electronic gain of
$\sim $
22 dB/mm at 80 GHz for an 8.3-
$\mu \text{m}$
-long channel.