Temperature-dependent noise characterization and modeling of on-wafer microwave transistors

Thermal investigation is of basic importance to assess key aspects of the performance and the reliability of microwave devices and circuits operating in a critical environment. To this aim, we have designed and realized an efficient thermoelectric chuck for on-wafer probe stations featuring rapid and accurate temperature control over the 220-320 K range. The system has been exploited in the measurement of I-V characteristics, scattering parameters and noise figure of GaAs-based heterojunction devices up to 40 GHz. The results of the temperature-dependent characterization have been subsequently employed in the extraction of noisy electrical models useful for computer-aided design of low-noise microwave circuits. We here describe the details of this low-cost high-performance measurement system and its applications in investigating the temperature dependence of semiconductor device performances. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.