The leakage current mechanisms in the Schottky diode with a thin Al layer insertion between Al0.245Ga0.755N/GaN heterostructure and Ni/Au Schottky contact

This paper investigates the behaviour of the reverse-bias leakage current of the Schottky diode with a thin Al inserting layer inserted between Al0.245Ga0.755 N/GaN heterostructure and Ni/Au Schottky contact in the temperature range of 25-350°C. It compares with the Schottky diode without Aluminium inserting layer. The experimental results show that in the Schottky diode with Al layer the minimum point of I-V curve drifts to the minus voltage, and with the increase of temperature increasing, the minimum point of I-V curve returns the 0 point. The temperature dependence of gate-leakage currents in the novelty diode and the traditional diode are studied. The results show that the Al inserting layer introduces interface states between metal and Al0.245Ga0.755N. Aluminium reacted with oxygen formed Al2O3 insulator layer which suppresses the trap tunnelling current and the trend of thermionic field emission current. The reliability of the diode at the high temperature is improved by inserting a thin Al layer.     

AlGaN/GaN异质结Ni/Au肖特基表面处理及退火研究

采用O₂等离子体及HF溶液对AlGaN/GaN异质结材料进行表面处理后，Ni/Au肖特基接触特性比未处理有了明显改善，反向泄漏电流减小3个数量级.对制备的肖特基接触进行200—600℃ 5min的N₂气氛退火，发现退火冷却后肖特基反向泄漏电流随退火温度增大进一步减小.N₂气中600℃退火后肖特基二极管C-V特性曲线在不同频率下一致性变好，这表明退火中Ni向材料表面扩散减小了表面陷阱密度；C-V特性曲线随退火温度增大向右移动，从二维电子气耗尽电压绝对值减小反映了肖特基势垒的提高. 关键词： AlGaN/GaN 肖特基接触 表面处理 退火     

Performance comparison of Pt/Au and Ni/Au Schottky contacts on AlxGa1-x N/GaN heterostructures at high temperatures

In contrast with Au/Ni/Al 0.25 Ga 0.75 N/GaN Schottky contacts,this paper systematically investigates the effect of thermal annealing of Au/Pt/Al 0.25 Ga 0.75 N/GaN structures on electrical properties of the two-dimensional electron gas in Al 0.25 Ga 0.75 N/GaN heterostructures by means of temperature-dependent Hall and temperature-dependent current-voltage measurements.The two-dimensional electron gas density of the samples with Pt cap layer increases after annealing in N 2 ambience at 600℃ while the annealing treatment has little effect on the two-dimensional electron gas mobility in comparison with the samples with Ni cap layer.The experimental results indicate that the Au/Pt/Al 0.25 Ga 0.75 N/GaN Schottky contacts reduce the reverse leakage current density at high annealing temperatures of 400-600℃.As a conclusion,the better thermal stability of the Au/Pt/Al 0.25 Ga 0.75 N/GaN Schottky contacts than the Au/Ni/Al 0.25 Ga 0.75 N/GaN Schottky contacts at high temperatures can be attributed to the inertness of the interface between Pt and AlxGa1-xN.     

Improved device performance in nonpolar a ‐plane GaN LEDs using a Ni/Al/Ni/Au n‐type ohmic contact

The authors report upon the increased light‐output power (P_out) via a reduction in the forward voltage (V_f) for nonpolar a ‐plane GaN LEDs using Ni/Al/Ni/Au n‐type ohmic contacts. The specific contact resistivity of the Ni/Al/Ni/Au contact is found to be as low as 5.6 × 10^–5 whereas that of a typical Ti/Al/Ni/Au contact is 6.8 × 10^–4 Ω cm², after annealing at 700 °C. The X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy results show that the upward surface band bending is less pronounced for the Ni/Al contact compared to the Ti/Al contact, leading to a decrease in the effective Schottky barrier height (SBH). The V_f of the nonpolar LEDs decreases by 10% and P_out increases by 15% when the Ni/Al/Ni/Au scheme is used instead of the typical Ti/Al/Ni/Au metal scheme. (© 2011 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

增强型AlGaN/GaN高电子迁移率晶体管高温退火研究

深入研究了两种增强型AlGaN/GaN高电子迁移率晶体管(HEMT)高温退火前后的直流特性变化.槽栅增强型AlGaN/GaN HEMT在500 ℃ N₂中退火5 min后,阈值电压由0.12 V正向移动到0.57 V,器件Schottky反向栅漏电流减小一个数量级.F注入增强型AlGaN/GaN HEMT在 400 ℃ N₂中退火2 min后,器件阈值电压由0.23 V负向移动到-0.69 V,栅泄漏电流明显增大.槽栅增强型器件退火过程中Schottky有效势垒     

Ni/Au Schottky gate oxidation and BCB passivation for high-breakdown-voltage AlGaN/GaN HEMT

A new AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) employing Ni/Au Schottky gate oxidation and benzocyclobutene (BCB) passivation is fabricated in order to increase a breakdown voltage and forward drain current. The Ni/Au Schottky gate metal with a thickness of 50/300 nm is oxidized under oxygen ambient at 500 C and the highly resistive NiO is formed at the gate edge. The leakage current of AlGaN/GaN HEMTs is decreased from 4.94 μA to 3.34 nA due to the formation of NiO. The BCB, which has a low dielectric constant, successfully passivates AlGaN/GaN HEMTs by suppressing electron injection into surface states. The BCB passivation layer has a low capacitance, so BCB passivation increases the switching speed of AlGaN/GaN HEMTs compared with silicon nitride passivation, which has a high dielectric constant. The forward drain current of a BCB-passivated device is 199 mA /mm, while that of an unpassivated device is 172 mA /mm due to the increase in two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) charge.     

Thermal stability of tungsten and tungsten nitride Schottky contacts to AlGaN/GaN

Thin tungsten nitride (WNx) films were produced by reactive DC magnetron sputtering of tungsten in an Ar-N2 gas mixture. The films were used as Schottky contacts on AlGaN/GaN heterostructures. The Schottky behaviours of WNx contact was investigated under various annealing conditions by current-voltage (I-V ) measurements. The results show that the gate leakage current was reduced to 10-6 A/cm2 when the N2 flow is 400 mL/min. The results also show that the WNx contact improved the thermal stability of Schottky contacts. Finally, the current transport mechanism in WNx/AlGaN/GaN Schottky diodes has been investigated by means of I-V characterisation technique at various temperatures between 300 K and 523 K. A TE model with a Gaussian distribution of Schottky barrier heights (SBHs) is thought to be responsible for the electrical behaviour at temperatures lower than 523 K.     

AlGaN/GaN高电子迁移率晶体管肖特基高温退火机理研究

在不同应力条件下,研究了AlGaN/GaN高电子迁移率晶体管高温退火前后的电流崩塌、栅泄漏电流以及击穿电压的变化.结果表明,AlGaN/GaN高电子迁移率晶体管通过肖特基高温退火以后,器件的特性得到很大的改善.利用电镜扫描(SEM)和X射线光电子能谱(XPS)对高温退火前、后的肖特基接触界面进行深入分析,发现器件经过高温退火后,Ni和AlGaN层之间介质的去除,并且AlGaN材料表面附近的陷阱减少,使得肖特基有效势垒提高,从而提高器件的电学特性. 关键词： AlGaN/GaN高电子迁移率晶体管 肖特基接触 界面陷阱     

热退火处理对AuGeNi/n-AlGaInP欧姆接触性能的影响

本文在n-(Al0.27Ga0.73)0.5In0.5P表面通过电子束蒸发Ni/Au/Ge/Ni/Au叠层金属并优化退火工艺成功制备了具有较低接触电阻的欧姆接触,其比接触电阻率在445℃退火600 s时达到1.4×10–4 W·cm2.二次离子质谱仪测试表明,叠层金属Ni/Au/Ge/Ni/Au与n-AlGaInP界面发生固相反应,Ga,In原子由于热分解发生外扩散并在晶格中留下Ⅲ族空位.本文把欧姆接触形成的原因归结为Ge原子内扩散占据Ga空位和In空位作为施主提高N型掺杂浓度.优化退火工艺对低掺杂浓度n-(Al0.27Ga0.73)0.5In0.5P的欧姆接触性能有显著改善效果,但随着n-(Al0.27Ga0.73)0.5In0.5P掺杂浓度提高,比接触电阻率与退火工艺没有明显关系.本文为n面出光的AlGaInP薄膜发光二极管芯片的n电极制备提供了一种新的方法,有望大幅简化制备工艺,降低制造成本.     

AlGaN/GaN high-electron-mobility transistors with transparent gates by Al-doped ZnO

AlGaN/GaN high-electron-mobility transistors （HEMTs） with Al-doped ZnO （AZO） transparent gate electrodes are fabricated, and Ni/Au/Ni-gated HEMTs are produced in comparison. The AZO-gated HEMTs show good DC characteristics and Schottky rectifying characteristics, and the gate electrodes achieve excellent transparencies. Compared with Ni/Au/Ni-gated HEMTs, AZO-gated HEMTs show a low saturation current, high threshold voltage, high Schottky barrier height, and low gate reverse leakage current. Due to the higher gate resistivity, AZO-gated HEMTs exhibit a current-gain cutoff frequency （fT） of 10 GHz and a power gain cutoff frequency （fmax） of 5 GHz, and lower maximum oscillation frequency than Ni/Au/Ni-gated HEMTs. Moreover, the C-V characteristics are measured and the gate interface characteristics of the AZO-gated devices are investigated by a C-V dual sweep.     

Pt interlayer effects on Ni germanosilicide formation and contact properties

Ni and Ni(Pt) germanosilicide formation and their contact properties on n-type epitaxial Si_0.84Ge_0.16 have been studied in this work. It is revealed that compared to NiSi, NiSiGe has enhanced phase stability but worse morphology stability. It is also found that Pt incorporation in germanosilicidation improves the morphology of the germanosilicide film. The Schottky contact characteristics of NiSiGe and Ni(Pt)SiGe on n-SiGe were evaluated by current–voltage (I–V) technique at room temperature. NiSiGe/n-SiGe contact shows a Schottky barrier height (SBH) of 0.65 eV with little difference from that of NiSi/n-Si contact. However, the contact shows a reduced SBH with a markedly increased ideality factor and leakage current when annealing temperature increases to 650 °C, indicating thermal degradation of the contact quality. Pt incorporation increases the SBH to 0.73 eV. In addition, its diode parameters such as SBH, ideality factor, and reverse leakage show better conformity during the whole annealing temperature range (from 450 to 650 °C). Therefore, it is concluded that Pt interlayer between Ni and SiGe can modulate the barrier height of Ni germanosilicide and improve its contact properties.     

The effects of annealing on Au/pyronine-B/MD n-InP Schottky structure

Thin film of non-polymeric organic compound pyronine-B has been fabricated on moderately doped (MD) n-InP substrate as an interfacial layer using spin coating technique for the electronic modification of Au/MD n-InP Schottky contact. The electrical characteristics have been determined at room temperature. The barrier height and the ideality factor values for Au/pyronine-B/MD n-InP Schottky diode have been obtained from the forward bias I-V characteristics at room temperature as 0.60 eV and 1.041; 0.571 and 1.253 eV after annealing at 100 and 250 °C, respectively. An increase in annealing temperature at the Au/n-InP Schottky junction is shown to increase the reverse bias leakage current by about one order of magnitude and decrease the Schottky barrier height by 0.027 eV. Furthermore, the barrier height values for the Au/pyronine-B/MD n-InP Schottky diode have also been obtained from the C-V characteristics at room temperature as 1.001 and 0.709 eV after annealing at 100 and 250 °C, respectively. Finally, it was seen that the diode parameters changed with increase in the annealing temperature.     

Electrical characteristics of Ta2O5 based capacitors with different gate electrodes

Al, W and TiN gate stacks using reactively sputtered thin (15–35 nm) Ta₂O₅ as a high-k dielectric have been investigated. It has been established that the type and the deposition technique of the gate electrode strongly affect the parameters of the structures. RF sputtered tungsten has been established as the most suitable electrode material (giving a nonreactive contact) providing a low leakage current (∼10^-8 A/cm² at 1 MV/cm) through capacitors and a high dielectric constant. The application of Al gate electrodes in the advanced DRAM devices is impeded by the chemical interaction of Al with the Ta₂O₅ films deteriorating the performance of the structures. The radiation-induced defects during the TiN deposition increase the leakage currents for TiN/Ta₂O₅/Si capacitors. A modified Poole–Frenkel conduction mechanism with a tendency for a reduction of the compensation level with increasing Ta₂O₅ thickness was found for W-gate capacitors. Schottky emission at low applied fields and modified Poole–Frenkel mechanism at high fields define the J–V characteristics of Al capacitors. The current through TiN capacitors is governed by ohmic and space charge limited conduction. The post metallization annealing in H₂ reduces the oxide charge but deteriorates both the breakdown fields and the leakage currents for all capacitors studied. The effect is stronger for Al and TiN structures and is accompanied by a reduction of the dielectric constant. PACS 72.80.Sk; 73.40.Qv; 77.55+f; 81.15 Cd     

AlGaN/GaN肖特基结参数分析与电流运输机理研究

通过对AlGaN/GaN HEMT器件肖特基栅电流输运机理的研究,在变温下采用I-V法对AlGaN/GaN上的Ni/Au肖特基势垒高度和理想因子进行了计算. 通过对不同电流机理的分立研究,得到了更为准确的势垒高度值_b. 通过分析温度在300—550K之间肖特基反向泄漏电流的特性,得出结论：AlGaN材料的表面漏电不是HEMT器件反向泄漏电流的主要来源. 关键词： AlGaN/GaN异质结 肖特基结 理想因子     

Al2O3绝缘层的AlGaN/GaN MOSHEMT器件研究

在研制AlGaN/GaN HEMT器件的基础上,采用ALD法制备了Al₂O₃ AlGaN/GaN MOSHEMT器件.通过X射线光电子能谱测试表明在AlGaN/GaN异质结材料上成功淀积了Al₂O₃薄膜.根据对HEMT和MOSHEMT器件肖特基电容、器件输出以及转移特性的测试进行分析发现：所制备的Al₂O₃薄膜与AlGaN外延层间界面态密度较小,因而MOSHEMT器件呈现出较 关键词： 2O₃')" href="#">Al₂O₃ ALD GaN MOSHEMT     

Study of Ti/Au,Ti/Al/Au,and Ti/Al/Ni/Au ohmic contacts to <Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis>-GaN

The contacts of Ti/Au, Ti/Al/Au, and Ti/Al/Ni/Au films deposited on n-GaN were studied by current–voltage (I–V) and transmission-line-method measurements. The effect of annealing temperature on specific contact resistivity has been investigated by changing the annealing temperature from 400 to 900 °C. Ti/Al/Au and Ti/Al/Ni/Au films were superior to the bilayer (Ti/Au) in ohmic contact characteristics and thermal stability. The Ti/Al/Ni/Au composite showed the best thermal stability due to the fact that Ni plays a more important role than the alloy of Ti/Al in preventing the interdiffusion of Ti, Al, and Au. The lowest contact resistivity (10^-7cm²) to n-GaN was obtained for the Ti/Al/Ni/Au sample by short-time/high-temperature annealing. The formation mechanism of ohmic contacts to n-GaN is also discussed. PACS 73.40.Cg; 73.61.Ey     

Optoelectronic characterization of Au/Ni/n-AlGaN photodiodes after annealing at different temperatures

The optoelectronic characteristics of Ni/Au Schottky photodiodes based on Al_0.35Ga_0.65N were investigated. The transmission of the Ni (50 Å)/Au (50 Å) layer was determined by evaporating it on a quartz substrate. As evaporated, the transmission coefficient in the 200–350 nm wavelength range was found to be 43 to 48%. Annealing at temperatures of up to 400 °C did not influence the transmission coefficient. After annealing at 500 °C, the transmission coefficient increased from 50 to 68% over the 200–350 nm range. The reverse bias current was optimised in terms of annealing temperature and was found to be as low as 1.94×10⁻¹³ A after annealing at 400 °C for a 0.6 mm diameter contact. The Schottky barrier heights increased with annealing temperature reaching as high as 1.46 and 1.89 eV for I–V and C–V measurements, respectively. The quantum efficiency was measured to be 20.5% and the responsivity reached its peak of 0.046 A/W at 275 nm. The cut-off wavelength was 292 nm.     

Improvement of interfacial adhesion in vertical GaN-based LEDs by introducing O2 plasma cleaning and intermediate layers

Interfacial adhesion between an indium tin oxide (ITO)/Ni/Ag/Ni/Au p-electrode, and Au and Ni/Au seeds in vertical GaN-based light emitting diodes (LEDs) was enhanced by O₂ plasma cleaning treatment of the Au surface in the p-electrode. However, AES and REELS analyses of the Au surface in the p-electrode detected surface damage to the p-electrode and photoresist (PR) passivation structure from O₂ plasma cleaning. W/Ni and Al/Ni adhesion layers were introduced in the Au seed to increase interfacial adhesion between Au seed and untreated PR passivation. Forward leakage current as low as 0.91 nA at 2 V was observed for the vertical LED with the Al/Ni/Au seed, for which adhesion strength to O₂ plasma-cleaned Au and untreated PR was 141.2 MPa and 62.8 MPa, respectively.     

Hydrogen Sensors Based on AlGaN/AlN/GaN Schottky Diodes

Pt/AlGaN/AlN/GaN Schottky diodes are fabricated and characterized for hydrogen sensing. The Pt Schottky contact and the Ti/Al/Ni/Au ohmic contact are formed by evaporation. Both the forward and reverse currents of the device increase greatly when exposed to hydrogen gas. A shift of 0.3 V at 300 K is obtained at a fixed forward current after switching from N2 to 10%H2＋N2. The sensor responses under different concentrations from 50ppm H2 to 10%H2＋N2 at 373K are investigated. Time dependences of the device forward current at 0.5 V forward bias in N2 and air atmosphere at 300 and 373K are compared. Oxygen in air azcelerates the desorption of the hydrogen and the recovery of the sensor. Finally, the decrease of the Schottky barrier height and sensitivity Of the sensor are calculated.     

ZrB2-based Ohmic contacts to p-GaN

The annealing temperature dependence of contact resistance and layer stability of ZrB₂/Ti/Au and Ni/Au/ZrB₂/Ti/Au Ohmic contacts on p-GaN is reported. The as-deposited contacts are rectifying and transition to Ohmic behavior for annealing at ≥750 °C, a significant improvement in thermal stability compared to the conventional Ni/Au Ohmic contact on p-GaN, which is stable only to <600 °C. A minimum specific contact resistance of ∼2 × 10⁻³ Ω cm⁻² was obtained for the ZrB₂/Ti/Au after annealing at 800 °C while for Ni/Au/ZrB₂/Ti/Au the minimum value was 10⁻⁴ Ω cm⁻² at 900 °C. Auger Electron Spectroscopy profiling showed significant Ti, Ni and Zr out diffusion at 750 °C in the Ni/Au/ZrB₂/Ti/Au while the Ti and Zr intermix at 900 °C in the ZrB₂/Ti/Au. These boride-based contacts show promise for contacts to p-GaN in high temperature applications.