Emission and detection of surface acoustic waves by AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors

Using integrated interdigital transducers (IDTs), we demonstrate the emission of surface acoustic waves (SAWs) by AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) under certain bias conditions through dynamic screening of the HEMTs vertical field by modulation of its two-dimensional electron gas. We show that a strong SAW signal can be detected if the IDT geometry replicates the HEMT electrode geometry at which RF bias is applied. In addition to characterizing SAW emission during both gate-source and drain-source modulation, we demonstrate SAW detection by HEMTs. Integrated HEMT-IDT structures could enable real-time evaluation of epitaxial degradation as well as high-speed, amplified detection of SAWs.