Design and Analysis of InGaN-GaN Modulation Doped Field-Effect Transistors (MODFETs) for Over 60 GHz Operation

A Modulation-Doped Field-Effect Transistor (MODFET) structure realized in InGaN-GaN material system is presented for the first time. An analytical model predicting the transport characteristics of the proposed MODFET structure is given in detail. Electron energy levels inside and outside the quantum well channel of the MODFET are evaluated. The two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) density in the channel is calculated by self-consistently solving Schrödinger and Poisson's equations simultaneously. Analytical results of the current-voltage and transconductance characteristics are presented. The unity-current gain cutoff frequency (f _T) of the proposed device is computed as a function of the gate voltage V _G . The results are compared well with experimental f _T value of a GaN/AlGaN HFET device. By scaling the gate length down to 0.25 m the proposed InGaN-GaN MODFET can be operated up to about 80GHz. It is shown in this paper that InGaN-GaN system has small degradation in f _T as the operating temperature is increased from 300°K to 400°K.     

Performance of 30 nm Gate Length InAlAs-InGaAs MODFETs: Comparison of Conventional and Asymmetric Coupled-Well Transport Channel Configurations

This paper presents simulation results highlighting the effects of variations in the transverse potential profile of the transport channel, on the electrical characteristics of Modulation Doped Field-Effect Transistors (MODFETs). In particular, the I-V and f_T-V_g characteristics of 30 nm gate length InAlAs-InGaAs MODFETs, having conventional quantum well channels, are in good agreement with our simulations. The simulation further predicts improvement in performance when asymmeteric coupled quantum wells are used as the electron transport channels. Energy bands, 2-D electron distributions, and various I-V characteristics are compared for conventional quantum well and asymmeteric coupled quantum well channels. Both quantum well and quantum wire configurations are enhanced by the incorporation of asymmetric coupled quantum well channel.     

Design and Analysis of InGaN-GaN Modulation-Doped Field-Effect Transistors (MODFETs) for 90 GHz Operations

A Modulation-Doped Field-Effect Transistor (MODFET) structure having quantum wire channel realized in InGaN-GaN material system is presented. This paper presents design and analysis of a novel one-dimensional Modulation-Doped Field-Effect transistor (1D MODFET) in InGaN-GaN material system for microwave and millimeter wave applications. An analytical model predicting the transport characteristics of the proposed MODFET device is also presented. Analytical results of the current-voltage and transconductance characteristics are presented. The unity-current gain cutoff frequency (f _T) of the proposed device is computed as a function of the gate voltage V _G. The results are compared with two-dimensional GaN/AlGaN MODFET and HFET devices. The analytical model also predicts that 0.25 m channel length devices will extend the use of InGaN-GaN MODFETs to above 90GHz.     

Effect of Temperature Variation on the Characteristics of Microwave Power AlGaN/GaN MODFET

The prime motivation for developing the proposed model of AlGaN/GaN microwave power device is to demonstrate its inherent ability to operate at much higher temperature. An investigation of temperature model of a 1 μm gate AlGaN/GaN enhancement mode n-type modulation-doped field effect transistor (MODFET) is presented. An analytical temperature model based on modified charge control equations is developed. The proposed model handles higher voltages and show stable operation at higher temperatures. The investigated temperature range is from 100 °K–600 °K. The critical parameters of the proposed device are the maximum drain current (I_Dmax), the threshold voltage (V_th), the peak dc trans-conductance (g_m), and unity current gain cut-off frequency (f_T). The calculated values of f_T (10–70 GHz) at elevated temperature suggest that the operation of the proposed device has sufficiently high current handling capacity. The temperature effect on saturation current, cutoff frequency, and trans-conductance behavior predict the device behavior at elevated temperatures. The analysis and simulation results on the transport characteristics of the MODFET structure is compared with the previously measured experimental data at room temperature. The calculated critical parameters suggest that the proposed device could survive in extreme environments.     

High Performance (fT~500GHZ) In0.52Al0.48As/In0.53Ga0.47As/InP Quantum Wire MODFETs Employing Asymmetric Coupled-Well Channels

A coupled-well InAlAs/InGaAs quantum wire MODFET structure is proposed, for which simulations predict improved frequency performance (>500 GHz), over a wider range of V_g, as compared to well/wire devices with a standard MODFET heterointerface. A comparison of several transverse potential well profiles, obtained by varying the placement of a thin barrier within a 100 Å finite well, is presented. In all cases, the quantum wires consist of a 0.1 m long channel and a 150 Å finite-square-well lateral profile. It has been found that the peak of the electron distribution for the first confined state, as measured from the heterointerface, changes dramatically depending on the location of the thin barrier. For quantum wire structures, realized in the lattice matched system of In_0.52Al_0.48As/In_0.53Ga_0.47As/InP, a change in the barrier location of 25 Å is accompanied by a shift in the carrier peak of more than 40 Å (~20 Å closer to or farther from the spacer-well interface than in the standard MODFET profile). Implications of this are reflected in the current-voltage characteristics (I_d-V_d) and frequency responses (f_T-V_g) of the proposed structures.     

Si1−xGex/Si multi-quantum well phototransistor for near-infrared operation

For the first time in the literature, we report the monolithic integration of SiGe near-infrared phototransistor and planar hetero-junction bipolar transistor (HBT). The phototransistor is made with SiGe/Si multi-quantum well structure (MQW_PHT). At room temperature, the MQW_PHT reveals an optical responsivity of 1904 mW/A at 0.85 μm and 1.25 mW/A at 1.3 μm under the reversed bias of V_CE=1.5 V. For electrical DC and microwave performance, the SiGe HBT has a current gain of 160 and a cut-off frequency (f_T) of 25 GHz, respectively.     

C-V characterization of Schottky- and MIS-gate SiGe/Si HEMT structures

Electrical properties of Schottky- and metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS)-gate SiGe/Si high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) were investigated with capacitance-voltage (C-V) measurements. The MIS-gate HEMT structure was fabricated using a SiN gate insulator formed by catalytic chemical vapor deposition (Cat-CVD). The Cat-CVD SiN thin film (5 nm) was found to be an effective gate insulator with good gate controllability and dielectric properties. We previously investigated device characteristics of sub-100-nm-gate-length Schottky- and MIS-gate HEMTs, and reported that the MIS-gate device had larger maximum drain current density and transconductance (g_m) than the Schottky-gate device. The radio frequency (RF) measurement of the MIS-gate device, however, showed a relatively lower current gain cutoff frequency f_T compared with that of the Schottky-gate device. In this study, C-V characterization of the MIS-gate HEMT structure demonstrated that two electron transport channels existed, one at the SiGe/Si buried channel and the other at the SiN/Si surface channel.     

10 Tera Hertz Operation in One-Dimensional Quantum Interference Transistor (1-D QUIT) Devices

A high performance quantum interference transistor (QUIT) realized using high mobility 1-D MODFET channels is presented. The operation of this 1-D QUIT is based on electrostatic Aharonov-Bohm quantum interference effect. The channel length of the device is smaller than the inelastic coherence length of the electrons in the quantum well wire channel, otherwise scattering will randomize electron's phase and destroy the quantum interference effect. Transport characteristics of the 0.2 m channel 1-D QUIT are calculated at 4.2 °K and compared with a two-dimensional QUIT device reported in literature. Our calculations show a significant improvement of the transconductance in one-dimensional transistors compared with its two-dimensional counterpart. The maximum frequency of operation of the 1-D QUIT is in the Tera Hertz regime, which makes it very attractive device for high frequency applications.     

Design optimization of tunneling field-effect transistor based on silicon nanowire PNPN structure and its radio frequency characteristics

Recently, a number of semiconductor devices have been widely researched in order to make breakthroughs from the short-channel effects (SCEs) and high standby power dissipation of the conventional metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs). In this paper, a design optimization for the silicon nanowire tunneling field-effect transistor (SNW TFET) based on PNPN multi-junction structure and its radio frequency (RF) performances are presented by using technology computer-aided design (TCAD) simulations. The design optimization was carried out in terms of primary direct-current (DC) parameters such as on-current (I_on), off-current (I_off), current ratio (I_on/I_off), and subthreshold swing (SS). Based on the parameters from optimized DC characteristics, basic radio frequency (RF) performances such as cut-off frequency (f_T) and maximum oscillation frequency (f_max) were analyzed. The simulated device had a channel length of 60 nm and a SNW radius of 10 nm. The design variable was width of the n-doped layer. For an optimally designed PNPN SNW TFET, SS of 34 mV/dec and I_on of 35 μA/μm were obtained. For this device, f_T and f_max were 80 GHz and 800 GHz, respectively.     

Investigation of SOI Substrates Incorporated with Buried MoSi2 for High Frequency SiGe HBTs

Highly arsenic-doped Si-on-insulator （SOI） substrate incorporated with buried MoSi2 layers is fabricated aiming at decreasing the collector series resistance of SiGe heterojunction bipolar transistors （HBTs） on SOI, thereby enhancing cutoff frequency （fT） performance and increasing the maximum value of fT （fTMAX ）. The .fT performance at medium current is enhanced and current required for fT = 15 GHz is reduced by half The value of fTMAX is improved by 30%.     

Strain relaxation of epitaxial SiGe layer and Ge diffusion during Ni silicidation on cap-Si/SiGe/Si(0 0 1)

Strain relaxation of the epitaxial SiGe layer and Ge diffusion during nickel silicidation by rapid thermal annealing the structure of Ni(≅14 nm)/cap-Si(≅26 nm)/Si_0.83Ge_0.17/Si(0 0 1) at the elevated annealing temperatures, T_A, were investigated by X-ray diffraction analyses of high-resolution ω-2θ scan and reciprocal space mapping. The analyses showed a much larger strain relaxation at a lower T_A and a reduction in Ge content in the SiGe layer of Ni/SiGe/Si(0 0 1) after thermal annealing compared to the case of cap-Si/SiGe/Si(0 0 1). The results indicate that the strain relaxation of the SiGe layers in NiSi/SiGe/Si(0 0 1) is related to the phenomena of NiSi agglomeration and penetration into the SiGe layer during silicidation at elevated anneal temperatures ≥750 °C. At elevated T_A ≥ 750 °C, Ge diffused into the intact cap-Si area during silicidation.     

Low-frequency alternative-current magnetic susceptibility of amorphous and nanocrystalline Co60Fe20B20 films

This investigation experimentally studies the low-frequency alternating-current magnetic susceptibility (χ_ac) of amorphous and nanocrystalline CoFeB films by measuring the magnetic field established by passing currents of various frequencies through such films of various thicknesses (t_f). A CoFeB film is sputtered onto a glass substrate with t_f from 100 Å to 500 Å under the following conditions: (a) As-deposited films were maintained at room temperature (RT) and (b) films were post-annealed at T_A=150 °C for 1 h. The samples thus obtained are analyzed in a magnetic field that was generated by an alternating current (AC) at various frequencies from 10 Hz to 25,000 Hz. The experimental results demonstrate that the χ_ac declines as the thickness of the as-deposited sample and the post-annealed sample (T_A=150 °C) increases because the lower coercivity (H_c) of thinner CoFeB films is similar to a soft magnetic characteristic and is associated with a higher χ_ac value. The best χ_ac value is obtained at a thickness of 100 Å under both conditions. The χ_ac value of the post-annealed sample exceeds that of the RT sample at thicknesses from 100 Å to 500 Å because the magneto crystalline anisotropy of the post-annealed sample yields the highest χ_ac value at the optimal resonance frequency (f_res), at which the spin sensitivity is maximal. The X-ray diffraction patterns (XRD) of as-deposited CoFeB films reveal their amorphous structure. The XRD results for the post-annealed films include a main peak at 2θ=44.7° from the body-centered cubic (BCC) nanocrystalline CoFe that indicated a (110) textured structure. Post-annealing treatment caused that the amorphous structure to become more crystalline by a thermally driven process, such that the χ_ac value of the post-annealed sample exceeded that of the RT sample. This experimental result demonstrates that the χ_ac value decreased as the thickness of the thin film increased. Finally, the CoFeB thin films had the best χ_ac at low frequency (<50 Hz) following post-annealing treatment. The results obtained under the two conditions indicate that the maximum χ_ac value and the optimal f_res of a 100 Å-thick CoFeB thin film were 1.6 and 30 Hz, respectively, following post-annealing at T_A=150 °C for 1 h, suggesting that a 100 Å-thick CoFeB thin film that has been post-annealed at T_A=150 °C can be utilized as a gage sensor and in transformer applications at low frequencies.     

A 94/47 GHz frequency halver using a GaAs Gunn device

This paper describes the basic principles and the set up of a new kind of frequency halvers suited for millimeter wave applications. A Ga As Gunn-device is used to act like a nonostable multivibrator having a hold time adequate to the domain transit time T_t of the Gunn-device.In a certain frequency range depending on the transit frequency f_T=1/T_T, bias voltage and circuit parameters a harmonic wave synchronized fundamental/2nd harnonic mode oscillator is able to perform as a frequency halver. An input power of only 1mW is sufficient to achieve a bandwidth of 5 GHz respectively 2.5 GHz centered around 94 GHz respectively 47GHz. Since the output power is 50 mW at fundamental frequency f_F, this halver offers 17dB conversion gain.     

Intraband photoresponse of SiGe quantum dot/quantum well multilayers

In this contribution we study the intravalence band photoexcitation of holes from self-assembled Ge quantum dots (QDs) in Si followed by spatial carrier transfer into SiGe quantum well (QW) channels located close to the Ge dot layers. The structures show maximum response in the important wavelength range 3–5 μm. The influence of the SiGe hole channel on photo- and dark current is studied depending on temperature and the spatial separation of QWs and dot layers. Introduction of the SiGe channel in the active region of the structure increases the photoresponsivity by up to about two orders of magnitude to values of 90 mA/W at T=20 K. The highest response values are obtained for structures with small layer separation (10 nm) that enable efficient transfer of photoexcited holes from QD to QW layers. The results indicate that Si/Ge QD structures with lateral photodetection promise very sensitive large area mid-infrared photodetectors with integrated readout microelectronics in Si technology.     

Design and analysis of Si-based arch-shaped gate-all-around (GAA) tunneling field-effect transistor (TFET)

In this work, a Si-based arch-shaped gate-all-around (GAA) tunneling field-effect transistor (TFET) has been designed and analyzed. Various studies on III–V compound semiconductor materials for applications in TFET devices have been made and we adopt one of them to perform a physical design for boosting the tunneling probability. The GAA structure has a partially open region for extending the tunneling area and the channel is under the GAA region, which makes it an arch-shaped GAA structure. We have performed the design optimization with variables of epitaxy channel thickness (t_epi) and height of source region (H_source) in the Si-based TFET. The designed arch-shaped GAA TFET based on Si platform demonstrates excellent performances for low-power (LP) applications including on-state current (I_on) of 694 μA/μm, subthreshold swing (S) of 7.8 mV/dec, threshold voltage (V_t) of 0.1 V, current gain cut-off frequency (f_T) of 12 GHz, and maximum oscillation frequency (f_max) of 283 GHz.     

Modeling of Nonvolatile Quantum Dot Gate Structures Operating at Millimeter Wave Frequencies for Memory Applications

This paper models electrical characteristics of quantum dot nonvolatile memory cells during READ and WRITE operations. Capacitance-voltage characteristics are calculated by self-consistently solving the Schrodinger and Poisson equations. The memory access time for a 32 kb NOR array is 73 ps, which reduces to 13 ps in lightly-doped sheath (LDS) structures. The results show that a change in the quantum dot charge has a strong effect on drain to source current. The calculated cutoff frequency f _T is 135 GHz for a 0.1 m channel length Si field-effect memory structures. The application of a quantum dot memory cell as a programmable resistor in RF circuits is presented. By changing the quantum dot charge, the resistor values can be changed by 25%.     

Influence of Nonequilibrium LO Phonons on High-frequency Performance of One-dimensional Hot Electrons in Quantum Wires of Polar Semiconductors

Small-signal ac transport of degenerate one-dimensional hot electrons in quantum wires of GaAs and In_0.53Ga_0.47As is studied for lattice temperatures of 77 K and 300 K. The carrier energy loss via polar optic phonons and momentum losses via polar optic phonons, acoustic phonons and ionized impurities are included in the calculations. Alloy disorder scattering in momentum loss is additionally incorporated for (In,Ga)As. The consideration of nonequilibrium optical phonons or hot phonons is found to enhance the 3dB cut-off frequency (f_3dB) considerably, where the ac mobility falls to 0.707 of its low frequency value. f_3dB is generally higher for (In,Ga)As quantum wire than for GaAs.     

Evolution of Si0.8Ge0.2 quantum dots during Si encapsulation

Surface structure, determined by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), surface morphology, determined by atomic force microscopy (AFM), and surface composition, determined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) of 20.0 nm Si_0.8Ge_0.2 quantum dots formed at 800 °C and encapsulated with 0-10 nm of Si at 500 °C and 800 °C are presented. It is observed that the quantum dot surface morphology changes during the Si encapsulation at 800 °C by the smoothing of the quantum dots. The height of the quantum dots decreases faster than can be accounted for from the amount of Si deposited, indicating that there is movement of material out of the quantum dots during the encapsulation process. Encapsulation at 500 °C results in a retention of the quantum dot surface morphology with increased Ge segregation compared to Si encapsulation at 800 °C. We conclude that the changing surface morphology at 800 °C is not the result of Ge segregation but due to intermixing resulting from the tensile strain of Si depositing on SiGe.     

The epitaxial growth of BaSnO3 buffer layer on IBAD-MgO template and its effects on GdBa2Cu3O7−δ film: A preliminary study

We report a successful fabrication of c-axis oriented GdBa₂Cu₃O_7−δ (GdBCO) films on the BaSnO₃ (BSO) buffer layers on ion-beam assisted deposition (IBAD)-MgO template by pulsed-laser deposition (PLD). The (0 0 l) growth and in-plane textures of BSO buffer layers were found sensitive to the substrate temperature (T_s). With increasing the BSO layer thickness up to ∼165 nm, in-plane texture (Δ? ∼ 6.2°) of BSO layers was almost unaltered while completely c-axis oriented BSO layers were obtainable from samples with the thickness below ∼45 nm. On the BSO buffer layers showing in-plane texture of 6.2° and RMS surface roughness of ∼8.6 nm, GdBCO films were deposited at 780–800 °C. All GdBCO films exhibited Δ? values of 4.6–4.7°, T_c,zero of ∼91 K, and critical current density (J_c) over 1 MA/cm² at 77 K in a self-field. The highest J_c value of 1.82 MA/cm² (I_c of 51 A/cm-width) was achieved from the GdBCO film deposited at T_s of 790 °C. These results support that BSO can be a promising buffer layer on the IBAD-MgO template for obtaining high-J_c GdBCO coated conductors.