The InGaAs-InAlAs-InP high electron mobility transistor (InP HEMT) is the
preferred active device used in a cryogenic low noise amplifier (LNA) for
sensitive detection of microwave signals. We observed that an InP HEMT
0.3-14GHz LNA at 2K, where the in-going transistors were oriented perpendicular
to a magnetic field, heavily degraded in gain and average noise temperature
already up to 1.5T. Dc measurements for InP HEMTs at 2K revealed a strong
reduction in the transistor output current as a function of static magnetic
field up to 14T. In contrast, the current reduction was insignificant when the
InP HEMT was oriented parallel to the magnetic field. Given the transistor
layout with large gate width/gate length ratio, the results suggest a strong
geometrical magnetoresistance effect occurring in the InP HEMT. This was
confirmed in the angular dependence of the transistor output current with
respect to the magnetic field. Key device parameters such as transconductance
and on-resistance were significantly affected at small angles and magnetic
fields. The strong angular dependence of the InP HEMT output current in a
magnetic field has important implications for the alignment of cryogenic LNAs
in microwave detection experiments involving magnetic fields

Bauch, Thilo

Grahn, Jan

Moschetti, Giuseppe

Niepce, David

Pourkabirian, Arsalan

Rodrigues, Isabel Harrysson

Schleeh, Joel

English

arXiv

The InGaAs-InAlAs-InP high electron mobility transistor (InP HEMT) is the preferred active device used in a cryogenic low noise amplifier (LNA) for sensitive detection of microwave signals. We have investigated the angular dependence of the InP HEMT when oriented in a magnetic field at 2 K ambient temperature up to 14 T. A sharp angular dependence as a function of the magnetic field was measured for the output current of the InP HEMT. This was accurately described by a geometrical magnetoresistance expression for all angles and magnetic field strengths. Key device parameters such as transconductance and on-resistance were significantly affected at small angles and magnetic fields. The strong angular dependence of the InP HEMT output current in a magnetic field has important implications for the alignment of cryogenic LNAs in microwave detection experiments involving magnetic fields.This work was performed in GigaHertz Centre in a joint research project between Chalmers University of Technology, Low Noise Factory AB, Wasa Millimeter Wave AB, Omnisys Instruments AB and RISE Research Institutes of Sweden. We are grateful to Serguei Cherednichenko for valuable assistance in the noise measurements and Niklas Wadefalk for the LNA design

Harrysson Rodrigues, Isabel

Chalmers Research

On the angular dependence of InP high electron mobilitytransistors for cryogenic low noise amplifiers in a magnetic fieldDownloaded from: https://research.chalmers.se, 2019-11-13 18:43 UTCCitation for the original published paper (version of record):Harrysson Rodrigues, I., Niepce, D., Pourkabirian, A. et al (2019)On the angular dependence of InP high electron mobility transistors for cryogenic low noiseamplifiers in a magnetic fieldAIP Advances, 9(8)http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.5107493N.B. When citing this work, cite the original published paper.research.chalmers.se offers the possibility of retrieving research publications produced at Chalmers University of Technology.It covers all kind of research output: articles, dissertations, conference papers, reports etc. since 2004.research.chalmers.se is administrated and maintained by Chalmers Library(article starts on next page)AIP Advances 9, 085004 (2019); https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5107493 9, 085004© 2019 Author(s).On the angular dependence of InP highelectron mobility transistors for cryogeniclow noise amplifiers in a magnetic fieldCite as: AIP Advances 9, 085004 (2019); https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5107493Submitted: 29 April 2019 . Accepted: 26 July 2019 . Published Online: 02 August 2019Isabel Harrysson Rodrigues , David Niepce , Arsalan Pourkabirian, Giuseppe Moschetti, JoelSchleeh, Thilo Bauch, and Jan Grahn ARTICLES YOU MAY BE INTERESTED INComparative study of the ion-slicing mechanism of Y-cut LiNbO3AIP Advances 9, 085001 (2019); https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5112792Enhanced thermal sensitivity of MEMS bolometers integrated with nanometer-scale holearray structuresAIP Advances 9, 085102 (2019); https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5113521Study on impulse quenching based multichamber arc quenching structureAIP Advances 9, 085104 (2019); https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5113853AIP Advances ARTICLE scitation.org/journal/advOn the angular dependence of InP high electronmobility transistors for cryogenic low noiseamplifiers in a magnetic fieldCite as: AIP Advances 9, 085004 (2019); doi: 10.1063/1.5107493Submitted: 29 April 2019 • Accepted: 26 July 2019 •Published Online: 2 August 2019Isabel Harrysson Rodrigues,1,a) David Niepce,2 Arsalan Pourkabirian,3 Giuseppe Moschetti,3,b) Joel Schleeh,3Thilo Bauch,4 and Jan Grahn1AFFILIATIONS1GigaHertz Centre, Department of Microtechnology and Nanoscience - MC2, Chalmers University of Technology,SE-41296 Gothenburg, Sweden2Quantum Technology Laboratory, Department of Microtechnology and Nanoscience - MC2, Chalmers University of Technology,SE-41296 Gothenburg, Sweden3Low Noise Factory AB, Nellickevägen 22, SE-41663 Gothenburg, Sweden4Quantum Device Physics Laboratory, Department of Microtechnology and Nanoscience - MC2, ChalmersUniversity of Technology, SE-41296 Gothenburg, Swedena)Electronic mail: isabelr@chalmers.seb)Present address: Qamcom Research and Technology AB, Falkenbergsgatan 3, SE-412 85 Gothenburg, SwedenABSTRACTThe InGaAs-InAlAs-InP high electron mobility transistor (InP HEMT) is the preferred active device used in a cryogenic low noise amplifier(LNA) for sensitive detection of microwave signals. We have investigated the angular dependence of the InP HEMT when oriented in amagnetic field at 2 K ambient temperature up to 14 T. A sharp angular dependence as a function of the magnetic field was measured for theoutput current of the InP HEMT. This was accurately described by a geometrical magnetoresistance expression for all angles and magneticfield strengths. Key device parameters such as transconductance and on-resistance were significantly affected at small angles and magneticfields. The strong angular dependence of the InP HEMT output current in a magnetic field has important implications for the alignment ofcryogenic LNAs in microwave detection experiments involving magnetic fields.© 2019 Author(s). All article content, except where otherwise noted, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5107493., sIn many sensitive detection systems, high electron mobilitytransistor (HEMT) low-noise amplifiers (LNAs) at cryogenic tem-peratures (1-10 K) are used to read out tiny microwave signals. Someof these systems rely on the presence of a strong magnetic field, e.g. inmass spectrometry1 or detection of dark matter.2,3 A potential appli-cation for cryogenic LNAs in a magnetic field is magnetic resonanceimaging.4 A problem prevalent in these detectors is that amplifierproperties such as gain and noise figure are negatively affected bythe magnetic field. The situation is most unfavorable for the LNAoriented perpendicular to the magnetic field (because of the Lorentzforce acting on the current). As a result, scientists always strive tomount the LNA away from the magnetic field using coaxial cablesalternatively to align the LNA parallel to the magnetic field lines.While the former solution is not preferable because of losses andreduced sensitivity, the latter gives rise to the issue on the degreeof alignment of the LNA in the field. This is related to the orienta-tion of the HEMT (and the 2DEG transport current) in a magneticfield. Here we report the angular dependence of the output currentfor the cryogenic InGaAs-InAlAs-InP (InP) HEMT in a magneticfield. It is shown that the InP HEMT output current is limited by astrong geometrical magnetoresistance effect (gMR) as a function ofangle and magnetic field. We also confirm that the gain and noiseproperties for the cryogenic InP HEMT LNA are very prone fordegradation when exposed to a magnetic field. The strong angularAIP Advances 9, 085004 (2019); doi: 10.1063/1.5107493 9, 085004-1© Author(s) 2019AIP Advances ARTICLE scitation.org/journal/advfield dependence demonstrated for the cryogenic InP HEMT outputcurrent suggests that even small misalignment of the cryogenic InPHEMT LNA in a magnetic environment is detrimental to read-outsensitivity.We first examined the sensitivity of the cryogenic InP HEMTLNA in a magnetic field using a 10 T superconducting magnet.The LNA was a monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC)chip consisting of three InP HEMT stages and passive componentsmounted in a gold-plated aluminum module. Neither the LNA mod-ule nor in-going passives exhibited any magnetic-field dependenceas verified by additional experiments. The amplifier was a broad-band design ranging from 0.3 to 14 GHz with a gain of 42 dB andaverage noise temperature of 4.2 K (0.06 dB) at 6 K ambient tem-perature.5 The LNA was mounted at the centre of the magnet on the2 K stage of an Oxford Instruments Triton 200 dilution refrigerator.The setup only permitted the LNA module to be oriented perpen-dicular to the magnetic field. In Fig. 1 the gain and noise tempera-ture at 3, 5 and 8 GHz are presented for the cryogenic InP HEMTLNA at 2 K when exposed to static magnetic fields up to 1.5 T.For all three measured frequencies, the LNA gain and noise temper-ature started to be affected around 0.25 T. Compared to an earlierstudy for a GaAs HEMT LNA,6 the degradation for the InP HEMTLNA in the presence of a magnetic field is much stronger. This isconnected to the higher electron mobility and sheet density of thetwo-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) in the InP HEMT comparedto the GaAs HEMT used in Ref. 6.The very strong degradation of the cryogenic InP HEMT LNAillustrated in Fig. 1 motivated the investigation of the InP HEMTas a function of angle and magnetic field. DC measurements wereconducted on individual transistors at low temperature. The dis-crete InP HEMTs were fabricated in the same transistor technology7used for the cryogenic InP HEMT LNA measured in Fig. 1. Wehave fabricated two-finger device layouts with gate width Wg rang-ing from 10 to 100 μm and gate length Lg from 60 to 250 nm. TheDC-characterization was carried out in a Quantum Design PhysicalFIG. 1. Gain and average noise temperature for the cryogenic InP HEMT MMICLNA, measured at 2 K, for three different frequencies as a function of appliedmagnetic field. The LNA was aligned perpendicular to the magnetic field.FIG. 2. The two-finger InP HEMT shown in top view (by scanning electronmicroscopy) and side view (by cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy)perspective. The T-shaped gate is marked in yellow. The static magnetic fieldwas applied in z-direction. The device was rotated from θ = 0○(180○) to 90○ cor-responding to parallel and perpendicular orientation, respectively, of the HEMToutput current with respect to the magnetic field.Property Measurement System (PPMS). The transistor was electri-cally connected through wire bonding and mounted in a matchedLC-network on a sample holder in the vacuum chamber of the cryo-stat and cooled down to 2 K. A static magnetic field ranging up to 14T was then applied and DC measurements were performed using aKeithley 2604B source meter.The measurement setup in PPMS allows for sample rotation inthe B-field. In Fig. 2, the geometry of the DC experiment is shown. Astatic magnetic field was applied in the z-direction. Fig. 2 presents atop view and side view of the two-finger InP HEMT where an angleof rotation θ is defined with respect to the magnetic field. θ could bevaried between 0○ and 180○ degrees where 0○ (180○) and 90○ cor-responded to measurements of the InP HEMT oriented parallel andperpendicular to the magnetic field, respectively.The cryogenic InP HEMT output current was first measured forθ = 90○. Figure 3 shows the source-drain current Ids versus source-drain voltage Vds for different gate-source voltage Vgs under a mag-netic field of 0 T and 10 T. The device was a 2x50 μm InP HEMTwith Lg=100 nm. Figure 3(a) illustrates a typical InP HEMT mea-sured under cryogenic conditions in the absence of a magnetic field.FIG. 3. Ids versus Vds for the InP HEMT at 2 K oriented θ = 90○ in a static magneticfield of (a) 0 T and (b) 10 T. Vgs was varied from -0.4 to 0.4 V in steps on 0.1 V.W g =2x50 μm and Lg=100 nm. Note difference in y-axis scale for (a) and (b).AIP Advances 9, 085004 (2019); doi: 10.1063/1.5107493 9, 085004-2© Author(s) 2019AIP Advances ARTICLE scitation.org/journal/advThe kink behavior at high current level around Vds=0.4 V originatesfrom electron traps in the interface layers of the heterostructure andis characteristic for these type of devices measured at low tempera-ture.8 Since the LC network in the sample holder did not provide aperfect 50 Ω impedance environment for the transistor, oscillationsoccurred for lower Ids showing up as small current jumps at Vgs <-0.2 V, which do not influence the interpretations in this study. InFig. 3(b), the same measurement was repeated under a magneticfield of 10 T. It stands clear that Ids is extremely suppressed forθ = 90○ when exposed to the magnetic field. Comparing Fig. 3(a)and (b), the maximum Ids (Vds=1 V) was reduced by almost a factorof 100. The device still behaves as a transistor but with a much largeron-resistance and strongly reduced transconductance.Measurements for the InP HEMT shown in Fig. 3 for θ = 0○and θ = 90○ in a magnetic field up to 14 T are summarized in Fig. 4.Ids was measured under saturation for two biases Vds=0.4 and 0.6 Vand normalized with respect to zero field. The strong suppression inoutput current for θ = 90○ is visualized in Fig. 4. As comparison, theeffect in Ids from the magnetic field for θ = 0○ is almost negligible (aminor reduction beyond 10 T may be due to a slight mis-orientationof the HEMT in the field). No difference with regard to Vds is notedin Fig. 4.We also observe in Fig. 4 that for θ = 90○, the normalized Idsvaries as B2.Moreover, it was confirmed that this dependence was thesame for a range of various device sizes Lg (60, 100, 250 nm) andWg (2x10, 2x50, 2x100 μm), see Fig. 5. In our experimental setup,the Hall effect (voltage) is negligible because of the device geom-etry with Wg > > Lg .9 The output current transport in the InPHEMT is therefore limited by gMR,10 which occurs due to the effectof the Lorentz force on the 2DEG in devices where Wg > > Lg .gMR is expected to be large under the experimental circumstanceshere, i.e. high channel mobility in the 2DEG and a strong magneticfield.The angular dependence of the cryogenic InP HEMT outputcurrent in a magnetic field was investigated by rotating the transis-tor in the magnetic field. θ was increased from 0○ to 180○ using astep size of 1○. In Fig. 6, Ids is plotted as a function of θ up to 10 T.It is noted that the Ids is clearly dependent on θ and that this depen-dence becomes larger with higher magnetic field. Irrespectively ofFIG. 4. Normalized maximum Ids versus magnetic field ranging from 0 to 14 T insteps of 1 T with θ = 0○ (black) and θ = 90○ (red), at Vgs = 0.4 V. Values forVds = 0.6 V (triangle) and 1.0 V (dot) are plotted. Device size: W g = 2x50 μm andLg = 100 nm, measured at 2 K.FIG. 5. Normalized Ids versus magnetic field up to 10 T for InP HEMTs orientedθ = 90○ with (a) Lg = 60, 100 and 250 nm and (b) W g = 2x10, 2x50 and 2x100 μm.A fix Vgs and Vds of 0.4 V were applied in an ambient temperature of 2 K.the applied field strength, we observe no change in the output cur-rent when (the 2DEG channel of) the transistor has a 0○ or 180○rotation. A significant reduction (∼ 20%) in Ids for rotations as smallas 15○ occurs at an applied field of 3 T. With increasing magneticfield, the alignment of the InP HEMT becomes even more crucialand the Ids is reduced by a minor tilt in θ of a few degrees.For a transistor layout with Wg > > Lg , the gMR in the channelis expected to vary as 1 + μ2B2, where μ is the electron mobility in thechannel.9,10 Taking the angular dependence in Fig. 2 into account fora transistor output current in an electrical field subject to a Lorentzforce leads toIds(B, θ) = VdsR0(1 + μ2B2sin2θ) (1)where R0 is a resistance term (including channel and access resis-tance contributions in the InP HEMT). Fitting the data to Eq. 1gives R0 = 11 Ω and μ = 10, 500 cm2/Vs, which is in excellent agree-ment for the full range of measured θ and B in Fig. 6 reflecting thesymmetrical angular dependence in Ids around θ = 90○.FIG. 6. Rotation sweep (θ from 0 to 180○) showing Ids (absolute values) for variousexternally applied magnetic fields 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8 and 10 T at a fix Vgs and Vdsof 0.4 V in an ambient temperature of 2 K. The dashed lines (black) are fitting ofEq.(1) to the experimental data points (colored). Device size W g=2x50 μm andLg = 100 nm.AIP Advances 9, 085004 (2019); doi: 10.1063/1.5107493 9, 085004-3© Author(s) 2019AIP Advances ARTICLE scitation.org/journal/advFIG. 7. (a) gm ,max and (b) Ron as a function of applied magnetic field up to 14 Tfor θ = 0○, 30○, 45○, 60○ and 90○. Ambient temperature of 2 K and device sizeW g = 2x50 μm, Lg = 100 nm. Vds = 1.0 V, Vgs = 0.4 V.The transconductance and on-resistance are two HEMTparameters fundamental for the design of a cryogenic LNA. Themaximum transconductance gm ,max at 2 K of the cryogenic InPHEMT is plotted in Fig. 7(a) as a function of the applied magneticfield up to 14 T for various angles θ. The gm ,max is around 1.9 S/mmat zero field and strongly decreases as a function of magnetic fieldfor θ = 30○ and above. Already at 1 T, the gm ,max is reduced with40% (60%) for θ = 30○ (90○). Field-effect transistor transconductanceversus magnetic field for θ = 90○ has been reported in Refs. 6 and11 for GaAs and silicon devices at cryogenic and room-temperatureconditions, respectively. The dependence on magnetic field is muchstronger for the InP HEMTs investigated in this study. In contrast toRef. 6, the gm ,max here is directly calculated from measured I-V datafor the transistor at cryogenic temperature in a magnetic field. Com-pared to Fig. 7(a), Ref. 11 shows a much weaker dependence whichis probably related to the silicon-based transistor subject to study, adevice normally not used in cryogenic LNAs. The on-resistance forthe InP HEMT (at 2 K) as a function of B for various θ is presentedin Fig. 7(b). For B=0 T, the Ron is around 0.7 Ωmm independent ofB for θ = 0○. As expected from Figs. 3 and 4, Ron increases rapidlywith B for θ = 90○, two orders of magnitude at 5 T. This dependenceis also strong at smaller angles as illustrated for θ = 30○ in Fig. 7(b).Ron is found to vary in a similar way as the denominator in Eq. (1):Ron = R0(1 + μ2B2sin2θ). Fig. 7 demonstrates that transistor param-eters crucial for the design of a cryogenic LNA are highly sensitiveto the alignment of the InP HEMT in a magnetic field at 2 K. Thisexplains the strong degradation of the LNA gain and average noisetemperature (measured for θ = 90○) observed in Fig. 1.In conclusion, we have investigated the angular dependence ofthe output current of cryogenic InP HEMTs in magnetic fields up to14 T and found that it is greatly attenuated, not only at θ = 90○, butalso at small θ. The physical reason is the very strong gMR occur-ring for Ids in the cryogenic InP HEMT. This was validated by anaccurate fitting of experimental Ids data with an equation describingthe gMR as a function of B and θ. Furthermore, we have shown thestrong influence from θ for the transistor parameters gm ,max and Ronwhen the cryogenic InP HEMT is exposed to a magnetic field. As aresult, the alignment of cryogenic InP HEMT LNAs with respect toa magnetic field is critical in sensitive microwave detection systems:even small deviation from θ = 0○ (180○) leads to significantly lowergain and higher average noise temperature.This work was performed in GigaHertz Centre in a jointresearch project between Chalmers University of Technology, LowNoise Factory AB, Wasa Millimeter Wave AB, Omnisys Instru-ments AB and RISE Research Institutes of Sweden. We are grate-ful to Serguei Cherednichenko for valuable assistance in the noisemeasurements and Niklas Wadefalk for the LNA design.REFERENCES1R. Mathur, R. W. Knepper, and P. B. O’Connor, IEEE Transactions on AppliedSuperconductivity 18, 1781–1789 (2008).2C. Hagmann, P. Sikivie, N. S. Sullivan, and D. B. Tanner, Phys. Rev. D 42,1297–1300 (1990).3B. M. Brubaker, arXiv e-prints, arXiv:1801.00835 (2018).4D. H. Johansen, J. D. Sanchez-Heredia, J. R. Petersen, T. K. Johansen,V. Zhurbenko, and J. H. Ardenkjaer-Larsen, IEEE Transactions on BiomedicalCircuits and Systems 12, 202–210 (2018).5J. Schleeh, N. Wadefalk, P. Nilsson, J. P. Starski, and J. Grahn, IEEE Transactionson Microwave Theory and Techniques 61, 871–877 (2013).6E. Daw and R. F. Bradley, Journal of Applied Physics 82(4), 1925–1929 (1997).7J. Schleeh, G. Alestig, J. Halonen, A. Malmros, B. Nilsson, P. A. Nilsson, J. P.Starski, N. Wadefalk, H. Zirath, and J. Grahn, IEEE Electron Device Letters 33,664–666 (2012).8H. Rodilla, J. Schleeh, P. Nilsson, and J. Grahn, IEEE Trans. Electron Devices62(2), 532–537 (2015).9J. P. Campbell, K. P. Cheung, L. C. Yu, J. S. Suehle, A. Oates, and K. Sheng, IEEEElectron Device Letters 32, 75–77 (2011).10T. Jervis and E. Johnson, Solid-State Electronics 13, 181–189 (1970).11J. R. Bodart, B. M. Garcia, L. Phelps, N. S. Sullivan, W. G. Moulton, andP. Kuhns, Review of Scientific Instruments 69, 319–320 (1998).AIP Advances 9, 085004 (2019); doi: 10.1063/1.5107493 9, 085004-4© Author(s) 2019

On the angular dependence of InP high electron mobility transistors for cryogenic low noise amplifiers in a magnetic field

The InGaAs-InAlAs-InP high electron mobility transistor (InP HEMT) is the preferred active device used in a cryogenic low noise amplifier (LNA) for sensitive detection of microwave signals. We have investigated the angular dependence of the InP HEMT when oriented in a magnetic field at 2 K ambient temperature up to 14 T. A sharp angular dependence as a function of the magnetic field was measured for the output current of the InP HEMT. This was accurately described by a geometrical magnetoresistance expression for all angles and magnetic field strengths. Key device parameters such as transconductance and on-resistance were significantly affected at small angles and magnetic fields. The strong angular dependence of the InP HEMT output current in a magnetic field has important implications for the alignment of cryogenic LNAs in microwave detection experiments involving magnetic fields. This work was performed in GigaHertz Centre in a joint research project between Chalmers University of Technology, Low Noise Factory AB, Wasa Millimeter Wave AB, Omnisys Instruments AB and RISE Research Institutes of Sweden. We are grateful to Serguei Cherednichenko for valuable assistance in the noise measurements and Niklas Wadefalk for the LNA design

Harrysson Rodrigues, Isabel,

Niepce, David,

Pourkabirian, Arsalan,

Moschetti, Giuseppe,

Schleeh, Joel,

Bauch, Thilo,

Grahn, Jan,

Swepub

On the angular dependence of InP high electron mobility transistors for cryogenic low noise amplifiers in a magnetic field [Elektronisk resurs]

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https://research.chalmers.se/publication/512571/file/512571_Fulltext.pdf

On the Angular Dependence of InP High Electron Mobility Transistors for
  Cryogenic Low Noise Amplifiers in a Magnetic Field

On the Angular Dependence of InP High Electron Mobility Transistors for Cryogenic Low Noise Amplifiers in a Magnetic Field

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