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Ultra-thin barrier (UTB) 4-nm-AlGaN/GaN normally-off high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) having a high current gain cut-off frequency (fT) are demonstrated by the stress-engineered compressive SiN trench technology. The compressive in-situ SiN guarantees the UTB-AlGaN/GaN heterostructure can operate a high electron density of 1.27 × 1013 cm−2, a high uniform sheet resistance of 312.8 Ω/□, but a negative threshold for the short-gate devices fabricated on it. With the lateral stress-engineering by full removing in-situ SiN in the 600-nm SiN trench, the short-gated (70 nm) devices obtain a threshold of 0.2 V, achieving the devices operating at enhancement-mode (E-mode). Meanwhile, the novel device also can operate a large current of 610 mA/mm and a high transconductance of 394 mS/mm for the E-mode devices. Most of all, a high fT/fmax of 128 GHz/255 GHz is obtained, which is the highest value among the reported E-mode AlGaN/GaN HEMTs. Besides, being together with the 211 GHz/346 GHz of fT/fmax for the D-mode HEMTs fabricated on the same materials, this design of E/D-mode with the realization of fmax over 200 GHz in this work is the first one that can be used in Q-band mixed-signal application with further optimization. And the minimized processing difference between the E- and D-mode designs the addition of the SiN trench, will promise an enormous competitive advantage in the fabricating costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]