Verification of GaN-HEMT Spice Models Using an S-parameters Approach

This paper describes a complementary S-Parameters approach to verify the Spice model accuracy of power GaN-HEMT devices regarding their capacitive and inductive aspects represented in graphic Smith charts. This approach correlates the Smith charts of experimental and simulated results in order to provide insights to improve the model characteristics. The correlation is carried out by processing the experimental results and the Spice simulated data using the Smithplot Python library. Additionally, a complementary study considers the input and output reflection coefficients to stablish a connection between the measured and simulated parameters in frequency and voltage. Possibilities of dissociating both package parasitic elements and intrinsic GaN capacitances confirm the potential of S-parameters as a powerful tool for model verification and study of power GaN-HEMT devices using a radio-frequency approach.