The effects of 60Co γ-ray irradiation on the DC characteristics of enhancement-mode AlGaN/GaN high-electron-mobility transistors

The effects of 60Co γ-ray irradiation on the DC characteristics of AlGaN/GaN enhancement-mode high-electron-mobility transistors (E-mode HEMTs) are investigated. The results show that having been irradiated by 60Co γ-rays at a dose of 3 Mrad (Si), the E-mode HEMT reduces its saturation drain current and maximal transconductance by 6% and 5%, respectively, and significantly increases both forward and reverse gate currents, while its threshold voltage is affected only slightly. The obvious performance degradation of E-mode AlGaN/GaN HEMTs is consistent with the creation of electronegative surface state charges in the source-gate spacer and gate-drain spacer after being irradiated.     

The effects of ^60Co γ-ray irradiation on the DC characteristics of enhancement-mode A1GaN/GaN high-electron-mobility transistors

The effects of ^60Co γ-ray irradiation on the DC characteristics of AlGaN/GaN enhancement-mode high-electron- mobility transistors （E-mode HEMTs） are investigated. The results show that having been irradiated by^60Co γ-rays at a dose of 3 Mrad （Si）, the E-mode HEMT reduces its saturation drain current and maximal transconductance by 6% and 5%, respectively, and significantly increases both forward and reverse gate currents, while its threshold voltage is affected only slightly. The obvious performance degradation of E-mode A1GaN/GaN HEMTs is consistent with the creation of electronegative surface state charges in the source-gate spacer and gate-drain spacer after being irradiated.     

Enhancement-mode AlGaN/GaN high electronic mobility transistors with thin barrier

An enhancement-mode (E-mode) AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistor (HEMTs) was fabricated with 15-nm AlGaN barrier layer. E-mode operation was achieved by using fluorine plasma treatment and post-gate rapid thermal annealing. The thin barrier depletion-HEMTs with a threshold voltage typically around --1.7 V, which is higher than that of the 22-nm barrier depletion-mode HEMTs (--3.5 V). Therefore, the thin barrier is emerging as an excellent candidate to realize the enhancement-mode operation. With 0.6-μ m gate length, the devices treated by fluorine plasma for 150-W RF power at 150 s exhibited a threshold voltage of 1.3 V. The maximum drain current and maximum transconductance are 300 mA/mm, and 177 mS/mm, respectively. Compared with the 22-nm barrier E-mode devices, V_T of the thin barrier HEMTs is much more stable under the gate step-stress.     

Evaluation of thermal resistance constitution for packaged AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors by structure function method

The evaluation of thermal resistance constitution for packaged AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) by structure function method is proposed in this paper.The evaluation is based on the transient heating measurement of the AlGaN/GaN HEMT by pulsed electrical temperature sensitive parameter method.The extracted chip-level and package-level thermal resistances of the packaged multi-finger AlGaN/GaN HEMT with 400-μm SiC substrate are 22.5 K/W and 7.2 K/W respectively,which provides a non-invasive method to evaluate the chip-level thermal resistance of packaged AlGaN/GaN HEMTs.It is also experimentally proved that the extraction of the chiplevel thermal resistance by this proposed method is not influenced by package form of the tested device and temperature boundary condition of measurement stage.     

Enhancement-mode A1GaN/GaN high electronic mobility transistors with thin barrier＊

An enhancement-mode （E-mode） A1GaN/GaN high electron mobility transistor （HEMTs） was fabricated with 15-nm A1GaN barrier layer. E-mode operation was achieved by using fluorine plasma treatment and post-gate rapid thermal annealing. The thin barrier depletion-HEMTs with a threshold voltage typically around -1.7 V, which is higher than that of the 22-nm barrier depletion-mode HEMTs （-3.5 V）. Therefore, the thin barrier is emerging as an excellent candidate to realize the enhancement-mode operation. With 0.6-tim gate length, the devices treated by fluorine plasma for 150-W RF power at 150 s exhibited a threshold voltage of 1.3 V. The maximum drain current and maximum transconductance are 300 mA/mm, and 177 mS/ram, respectively. Compared with the 22-nm barrier E-mode devices, VT of the thin barrier HEMTs is much more stable under the gate step-stress,     

Effects of SiNx on two-dimensional electron gas and current collapse of A1GaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors

SiNx is commonly used as a passivation material for AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs). In this paper, the effects of SiN x passivation film on both two-dimensional electron gas characteristics and current collapse of AlGaN/GaN HEMTs are investigated. The SiNx films are deposited by high- and low-frequency plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition, and they display different strains on the AlGaN/GaN heterostructure, which can explain the experiment results.     

Influence of the Diamond Layer on the Electrical Characteristics of AlGaN/GaN High-Electron-Mobility Transistors

The thermal management is an important issue for AlGaN/GaN high-electron-mobility transistors(H/EMTs).In this work,the influence of the diamond layer on the electrical characteristics of AlGaN/GaN HEMTs is investigated by simulation. The results show that the lattice temperature can be effectively decreased by utilizing the diamond layer. With increasing the drain bias, the diamond layer plays a more significant role for lattice temperature reduction. It is also observed that the diamond layer can induce a negative shift of threshold voltage and an increase of transconductance. Furthermore, the influence of the diamond layer thickness on the frequency characteristics is investigated as well.By utilizing the 10-μm-thickness diamond layer in this work, the cutoff frequency f_T and maximum oscillation frequency f_(max) can be increased by 29% and 47%, respectively. These results demonstrate that the diamond layer is an effective technique for lattice temperature reduction and the study can provide valuable information for HEMTs in high-power and high-frequency applications.     

Neutron irradiation effects on A1GaN//GaN high electron mobility transistors

AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors(HEMTs) were exposed to 1 MeV neutron irradiation at a neutron fluence of 1 × 10 15 cm 2.The dc characteristics of the devices,such as the drain saturation current and the maximum transconductance,decreased after neutron irradiation.The gate leakage currents increased obviously after neutron irradiation.However,the rf characteristics,such as the cut-off frequency and the maximum frequency,were hardly affected by neutron irradiation.The AlGaN/GaN heterojunctions have been employed for the better understanding of the degradation mechanism.It is shown in the Hall measurements and capacitance-voltage tests that the mobility and concentration of two-dimensional electron gas(2DEG) decreased after neutron irradiation.There was no evidence of the full-width at half-maximum of X-ray diffraction(XRD) rocking curve changing after irradiation,so the dislocation was not influenced by neutron irradiation.It is concluded that the point defects induced in AlGaN and GaN by neutron irradiation are the dominant mechanisms responsible for performance degradations of AlGaN/GaN HEMT devices.     

Low-leakage-current AlGaN/GaN HEMTs on Si substrates with partially Mg-doped GaN buffer layer by metal organic chemical vapor deposition

High-performance low-leakage-current AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors(HEMTs) on silicon(111) substrates grown by metal organic chemical vapor deposition(MOCVD) with a novel partially Magnesium(Mg)-doped GaN buffer scheme have been fabricated successfully. The growth and DC results were compared between Mg-doped GaN buffer layer and a unintentionally one. A 1-μm gate-length transistor with Mg-doped buffer layer exhibited an OFF-state drain leakage current of 8.3 × 10-8A/mm, to our best knowledge, which is the lowest value reported for MOCVD-grown AlGaN/GaN HEMTs on Si featuring the same dimension and structure. The RF characteristics of 0.25-μm gate length T-shaped gate HEMTs were also investigated.     

60Co gamma radiation effect on AlGaN/AlN/GaN HEMT devices

The testing techniques and experimental methods of the ⁶⁰Co gamma irradiation effect on AlGaN/AlN/ GaN high electron mobility transistors （HEMTs） are established. The degradation of the electrical properties of the device under the actual radiation environment are analyzed theoretically, and studies of the total dose effects of gamma radiation on AlGaN/AlN/GaN HEMTs at three different radiation bias conditions are carried out. The degradation patterns of the main parameters of the AlGaN/AlN/GaN HEMTs at different doses are then investigated, and the device parameters that were sensitive to the gamma radiation induced damage and the total dose level induced device damage are obtained.     

Significant performance enhancement in AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistor by high-κ organic dielectric

The electrical properties of AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) with and without high-κ organic dielectrics are investigated. The maximum drain current I_{D max} and the maximum transconductance g_{m max} of the organic dielectric/AlGaN/GaN structure can be enhanced by 74.5%, and 73.7% compared with those of the bare AlGaN/GaN HEMT, respectively. Both the threshold voltage V_T and g_{m max} of the dielectric/AlGaN/GaN HEMT are strongly dielectric-constant-dependent. Our results suggest that it is promising to significantly improve the performance of the AlGaN/GaN HEMT by introducing the high-κ organic dielectric.     

The effect of single A1GaN interlayer on the structural properties of GaN epilayers grown on Si （111） substrates

High-quality and nearly crack-free GaN epitaxial layer was obtained by inserting a single AlGaN interlayer between GaN epilayer and high-temperature AlN buffer layer on Si (111) substrate by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition. This paper investigates the effect of AlGaN interlayer on the structural properties of the resulting GaN epilayer. It confirms from the optical microscopy and Raman scattering spectroscopy that the AlGaN interlayer has a remarkable effect on introducing relative compressive strain to the top GaN layer and preventing the formation of cracks. X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy analysis reveal that a significant reduction in both screw and edge threading dislocations is achieved in GaN epilayer by the insertion of AlGaN interlayer. The process of threading dislocation reduction in both AlGaN interlayer and GaN epilayer is demonstrated.     

High-electric-field-stress-induced degradation of SiN passivated AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors

AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) are fabricated by employing SiN passivation, this paper investigates the degradation due to the high-electric-field stress. After the stress, a recoverable degradation has been found, consisting of the decrease of saturation drain current I_Dsat, maximal transconductance g_m, and the positive shift of threshold voltage V_TH at high drain-source voltage V_DS. The high-electric-field stress degrades the electric characteristics of AlGaN/GaN HEMTs because the high field increases the electron trapping at the surface and in AlGaN barrier layer. The SiN passivation of AlGaN/GaN HEMTs decreases the surface trapping and 2DEG depletion a little during the high-electric-field stress. After the hot carrier stress with V_DS=20 V and V_GS=0 V applied to the device for 10⁴ sec, the SiN passivation decreases the stress-induced degradation of I_Dsat from 36% to 30%. Both on-state and pulse-state stresses produce comparative decrease of I_Dsat, which shows that although the passivation is effective in suppressing electron trapping in surface states, it does not protect the device from high-electric-field degradation in nature. So passivation in conjunction with other technological solutions like cap layer, prepassivation surface treatments, or field-plate gate to weaken high-electric-field degradation should be adopted.     

Improvement of breakdown characteristics of an A1GaN/GaN HEMT with a U-type gate foot for millimeter-wave power application

<正>In this study,the physics-based device simulation tool Silvaco ATLAS is used to characterize the electrical properties of an AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistor(HEMT) with a U-type gate foot.The U-gate AlGaN/GaN HEMT mainly features a gradually changed sidewall angle,which effectively mitigates the electric field in the channel, thus obtaining enhanced off-state breakdown characteristics.At the same time,only a small additional gate capacitance and decreased gate resistance ensure excellent RF characteristics for the U-gate device.U-gate AlGaN/GaN HEMTs are feasible through adjusting the etching conditions of an inductively coupled plasma system,without introducing any extra process steps.The simulation results are confirmed by experimental measurements.These features indicate that U-gate AlGaN/GaN HEMTs might be promising candidates for use in miltimeter-wave power applications.     

Method of evaluating interface traps in Al_2O_3/AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors

In this paper, the interface states of the AlGaN/GaN metal–insulator–semiconductor(MIS) high electron mobility transistors(HEMTs) with an Al_2 O_3 gate dielectric are systematically evaluated. By frequency-dependent capacitance and conductance measurements, trap density and time constant at Al_2 O_3/AlGaN and AlGaN/GaN interface are determined.The experimental results reveal that the density of trap states and the activation energy at the Al_2 O_3/AlGaN interface are much higher than at the AlGaN/GaN interface. The photo-assisted capacitance-voltage measurements are performed to characterize the deep-level traps located near mid-gap at the Al_2 O_3/AlGaN interface, which indicates that a density of deep-level traps is lower than the density of the shallow-level states.     

An improved EEHEMT model for kink effect on AlGaN/GaN HEMT

In this paper, a new current expression based on both the direct currect(DC) characteristics of the AlGaN/GaN high election mobility transistor(HEMT) and the hyperbolic tangent function tanh is proposed, by which we can describe the kink effect of the AlGaN/GaN HEMT well. Then, an improved EEHEMT model including the proposed current expression is presented. The simulated and measured results of I–V, S-parameter, and radio frequency(RF) large-signal characteristics are compared for a self-developed on-wafer AlGaN/GaN HEMT with ten gate fingers each being 0.4-μm long and 125-μm wide(Such an AlGaN/GaN HEMT is denoted as AlGaN/GaN HEMT(10 × 125 μm)). The improved large signal model simulates the I–V characteristic much more accurately than the original one, and its transconductance and RF characteristics are also in excellent agreement with the measured data.     

Breakdown mechanisms in AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors with different GaN channel thickness values

In this paper,the off-state breakdown characteristics of two different AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors（HEMTs）,featuring a 50-nm and a 150-nm GaN thick channel layer,respectively,are compared.The HEMT with a thick channel exhibits a little larger pinch-off drain current but significantly enhanced off-state breakdown voltage(SV_off).Device simulation indicates that thickening the channel increases the drain-induced barrier lowering（DIBL） but reduces the lateral electric field in the channel and buffer underneath the gate.The increase of BV_off in the thick channel device is due to the reduction of the electric field.These results demonstrate that it is necessary to select an appropriate channel thickness to balance DIBL and BV_off in AlGaN/GaN HEMTs.     

Low-resistance Ohmic contact on polarization-doped AlGaN/GaN heterojunction

High electronic density is achieved by polarization doping without an impurity dopant in graded AlGaN films. Low specific contact resistance is studied on the polarization-doped AlGaN/GaN heterojunctions by using the transmission line method(TLM). The sheet density of polarization-doped AlGaN/GaN heterojunction is 6×1014cm-2at room temperature.The linearly graded material structure is demonstrated by X-ray diffraction. The carrier concentration and mobility are characterized by a temperature-dependent Hall measurement. Multiple-layer metal(Ti/Al/Ti/Au) is deposited and annealed at 650°C to realize the Ohmic contacts on the graded AlGaN/GaN heterojunctions.     

Enhancement of Breakdown Voltage in AlGaN/GaN High Electron Mobility Transistors Using Double Buried p-Type Layers

A novel AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistor(HEMT) with double buried p-type layers(DBPLs) in the GaN buffer layer and its mechanism are studied.The DBPL AlGaN/GaN HEMT is characterized by two equi-long p-type GaN layers which are buried in the GaN buffer layer under the source side.Under the condition of high-voltage blocking state,two reverse p-n junctions introduced by the buried p-type layers will effectively modulate the surface and bulk electric fields.Meanwhile,the buffer leakage is well suppressed in this structure and both lead to a high breakdown voltage.The simulations show that the breakdown voltage of the DBPL structure can reach above 2000 V from 467 V of the conventional structure with the same gate-drain length of 8μm.     

A Physics-Based Compact Direct-Current and Alternating-Current Model for AlGaN/GaN High Electron Mobility Transistors

A set of analytical models for the dc and small signal characteristics of AIGaN/GaN high electron mobility transis- tors （HEMTs） are presented. A modified transferred-electron mobility model is adapted and a phenomenological low-field mobility model is developed. We calculate the channel charge considering the neutralization of donors and the contribution of free electrons in the AlGaN layer. The gate-to-source and gate-to-drain capacitances are obtained analytically, and the cut-off frequency is predicted. The models are implemented into the HSPICE simulator for the dc, ac and transient simulations and verified by experimental data for the first time. A high efficiency class-E GaN HEMT power amplifier is designed and simulated by the HSPICE to verify the applicability of our models.