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Completed TRL 2 (started at 2, targeting 3)
The objective of this project is to identify the physical origin of drain noise in high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) and thereby establish a pathway towards millimeter-wave amplifiers with a quantum-limited noise figure. Low noise amplifiers based on HEMTs are ubiquitous in space science and technology. While the noise mechanisms in these devices have been studied since their original development in the late 1980s, the origin of the noise associated with the hot electron gas in the channel remains a topic of debate. I will address this long-standing challenge using a novel technical approach that permits a parameter-free microscopic description of the fluctuations of hot electrons. With the knowledge gained from this approach, predictions regarding device optimization can be tested to create the next generation of low noise microwave amplifiers operating near the quantum noise limit.
With the knowledge gained from this approach, predictions regarding device optimization can be tested to create the next generation of low noise microwave amplifiers operating near the quantum noise limit.
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