Bidirectional GaN FET with single gate

A bidirectional GaN FET switch with a single gate, comprising:

• a substrate, a GaN layer on the substrate, an AlGaN layer on the GaN layer, a first power electrode and a second power electrode, a third power electrode and a gate, wherein the bidirectional GaN FET switch is formed of a first sub-switch and a second sub-switch integrated together in the bidirectional GaN FET switch on a die having an area and connected in parallel in an equivalent circuit, wherein:
• the first sub-switch comprises a single gate GaN field effect transistor (FET), wherein the first and the second power electrodes serve as source/drain electrodes and wherein the gate is centrally located between the first and second power electrodes, whereby the gate is spaced an equal distance from the first and second power electrodes;
• the second sub-switch comprises a first GaN FET and a second GaN FET connected in a back-to-back configuration having a common gate, wherein the third power electrode acts as a common source, and wherein the first power electrode and the second power electrode serve as the respective drain electrode of the first GaN FET and the second GaN FET;
• and
• the gate of the single gate GaN FET of the first sub-switch is electrically connected to the common gate of the first and second back-to-back GaN FETs of the second sub-switch to form the single gate of the bidirectional GaN FET switch;
• wherein the first sub-switch occupies most of the die area, and the second sub-switch occupies only a small percentage of the die area, such that current passing through the bidirectional GaN FET switch, when the switch is ON, flows primarily under the single gate of the first sub-switch.