MESFET - Functional Architecture

Functional Architecture

The MESFET differs from the common insulated gate FET or MOSFET in that there is no insulator under the gate over the active switching region. This implies that the MESFET gate should, in transistor mode, be biased such that one does not have a forward conducting metal semiconductor diode instead of a reversed biased depletion zone controlling the underlying channel. While this restriction inhibits certain circuit possibilities, MESFET analog and digital devices work reasonably well if kept within the confines of design limits. The most critical aspect of the design is the gate metal extent over the switching region. Generally the narrower the gate modulated carrier channel the better the frequency handling abilities, overall. Spacing of the source and drain with respect to the gate, and the lateral extent of the gate are important though somewhat less critical design parameters. MESFET current handling ability improves as the gate is elongated laterally, keeping the active region constant, however is limited by phase shift along the gate due to the transmission line effect. As a result most production MESFETs use a built up top layer of low resistance metal on the gate, often producing a mushroom-like profile in cross section