A model to explain the noise properties for AlGaAs/GaAs HEMT's, AlGaAs/InGaAs/GaAs pseudomorphic HEMT's (P-HEMT's) and GaAs/AlGaAs inverted HEMT's (I-HEMT's) is presented. The model Is based on a self-consistent solution of Schrodinger and Poisson's equations. The influence of the drain-source current, frequency and device parameters on the minimum noise figure F/sub min/ and minimum noise temperature T/sub min/, for different HEMT structures are presented. The study shows that P-HEMT's have a better noise performance than the normal and inverted HEMT's. The present model predicts that a long gate P-HEMT device will exhibit a better noise performance than a conventional HEMT. There is a range of doped epilayer thickness where minimum noise figure is a minimum for pseudomorphic HEMT's which is not observed in conventional and inverted HEMT's. The calculated noise properties are compared with experimental data and the results show excellent agreement for all devices.>