Compound Semiconductor Seminar - Dr. Nicholas Miller from Michigan State University
UC Santa Barbara - Robert Mehrabian College of Engineering
Compound Semiconductor (ComSem) Seminar: Electronics, Optoelectronics & Quantum
10/23/2025 at 1:30pm
Attend in person at the Engineering Sciences Building, Room 1001
Title: RF Measurements and Modeling of GaN HEMTs
Speaker: Dr. Nicholas C. Miller
Abstract:
Rapid design and prototyping of next-generation radio frequency (RF) and millimeter-wave (mm-wave) gallium nitride (GaN) monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMICs) require reliable, accurate, and scalable models of the underlying transistors. A paramount component enabling first-pass design success of GaN power amplifiers and low-noise amplifiers is accurate linear and nonlinear RF measurements which feed into the model extraction and validation workflow. In this talk, I will discuss the current research at Michigan State University (MSU) related to nonlinear RF measurements and modeling of GaN HEMTs. This talk will provide an overview of the RF measurement capabilities at MSU including 50 GHz nonlinear and noise parameters measurements and 220 GHz continuous band S-Parameters. I will also discuss the recent advancements in GaN HEMT modeling including physics-based compact modeling with the ASM-HEMT and advanced technology computed aided design modeling using Fermi kinetics transport.
Speaker biography:
Dr. Nicholas C. Miller is an assistant professor in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at Michigan State University. He was previously an electronics engineer at the Air Force Research Laboratory Sensors Directorate from 2017 to 2023. He received his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. in electrical and computer engineering from Michigan State University in 2013, 2015 and 2017, respectively. He is currently a young professional member of the IEEE MTT technical committee for microwave measurements (TC-3).
Dr. Miller’s current research interests include linear and nonlinear mm-wave characterization of on-wafer transistors and integrated
circuits, physics-based compact modeling of compound semiconductor transistors, and technology computer-aided design
modeling of wide and ultrawide bandgap semiconductor transistors.
Dr. Miller was a recipient of the IEEE AP-S Predoctoral Research Award in 2013, the U.S. DoD Science, Mathematics, and Research
for Transformation (SMART) Scholarship in 2014, the IEEE Dayton Section Harrell V. Nobel Award in 2019 for physics-based device modeling, the Best Conference Paper Award at the 21st IEEE Wireless and Microwave Technology Conference (WAMICON) in 2021, the Best Presentation Award at the IEEE MTT-S Young Professional Workshop on Optimization and Modeling of Active Devices in 2022, and the AFRL Early Career Award in 2023.