Transport mechanism of reverse surface leakage current in AlGaN/GaN high-electron mobility transistor with SiN passivation

The transport mechanism of reverse surface leakage current in the AlGaN/GaN high-electron mobility transistor(HEMT) becomes one of the most important reliability issues with the downscaling of feature size.In this paper,the research results show that the reverse surface leakage current in AlGaN/GaN HEMT with SiN passivation increases with the enhancement of temperature in the range from 298 K to 423 K.Three possible transport mechanisms are proposed and examined to explain the generation of reverse surface leakage current.By comparing the experimental data with the numerical transport models,it is found that neither Fowler-Nordheim tunneling nor Frenkel-Poole emission can describe the transport of reverse surface leakage current.However,good agreement is found between the experimental data and the two-dimensional variable range hopping(2D-VRH) model.Therefore,it is concluded that the reverse surface leakage current is dominated by the electron hopping through the surface states at the barrier layer.Moreover,the activation energy of surface leakage current is extracted,which is around 0.083 eV.Finally,the SiN passivated HEMT with a high Al composition and a thin AlGaN barrier layer is also studied.It is observed that 2D-VRH still dominates the reverse surface leakage current and the activation energy is around 0.10 eV,which demonstrates that the alteration of the AlGaN barrier layer does not affect the transport mechanism of reverse surface leakage current in this paper.     

场板结构AlGaN/GaN HEMT的电流崩塌机理

在不同的漏偏压下,研究了钝化和不同场板尺寸AlGaN/GaN HEMT对电流崩塌的抑制能力.实验结果表明,钝化器件对电流崩塌的抑制能力随着漏偏压的升高而显著下降;在高漏偏压下,场板的尺寸对器件抑制崩塌的能力有较大影响,而合适尺寸的场板结构在各个漏偏压下都能够很好的抑制电流崩塌.深入分析发现,场板结构不仅能够抑制虚栅的充电过程,而且提供了放电途径,有利于虚栅的放电,从而抑制电流崩塌.在此基础上,通过建立场板介质对虚栅放电的模型,解释了高漏偏压下场板的尺寸对器件抑制崩塌的能力有较大影响的原因. 关键词： AlGaN/GaN HEMT 场板 电流崩塌     

场板结构AlGaN/GaN HEMT的电流崩塌机理

在不同的漏偏压下，研究了钝化和不同场板尺寸AlGaN/GaN HEMT对电流崩塌的抑制能力.实验结果表明，钝化器件对电流崩塌的抑制能力随着漏偏压的升高而显著下降；在高漏偏压下，场板的尺寸对器件抑制崩塌的能力有较大影响，而合适尺寸的场板结构在各个漏偏压下都能够很好的抑制电流崩塌.深入分析发现，场板结构不仅能够抑制虚栅的充电过程，而且提供了放电途径，有利于虚栅的放电，从而抑制电流崩塌.在此基础上，通过建立场板介质对虚栅放电的模型，解释了高漏偏压下场板的尺寸对器件抑制崩塌的能力有较大影响的原因.     

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.     

High linearity AlGaN/GaN HEMT with double-Vth coupling for millimeter-wave applications

We demonstrated an AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistor(HEMT)namely double-Vthcoupling HEMT(DVC-HEMT)fabricated by connecting different threshold voltage(Vth)values including the slant recess element and planar element in parallel along the gate width with N;O plasma treatment on the gate region.The comparative studies of DVC-HEMT and Fin-like HEMT fabricated on the same wafer show significantly improved linearity of transconductance(Gm)and radio frequency(RF)output signal characteristics in DVC-HEMT.The fabricated device shows the transconductance plateau larger than 7 V,which yields a flattened fT/fmax-gate bias dependence.At the operating frequency of 30 GHz,the peak power-added efficiency(PAE)of 41%accompanied by the power density(Pout)of 5.3 W/mm.Furthermore,the proposed architecture also features an exceptional linearity performance with 1-d B compression point(P1 d B)of 28 d Bm,whereas that of the Fin-like HEMT is 25.2 d Bm.The device demonstrated in this article has great potential to be a new paradigm for millimeter-wave application where high linearity is essential.     

阶梯AlGaN外延新型Al0.25Ga0.75N/GaNHEMTs器件实验研究

本文报道了作者提出的阶梯AlGaN外延层新型AlGaN/GaN HEMTs结构的实验结果. 实验利用感应耦合等离子体刻蚀(ICP)刻蚀栅边缘的AlGaN外延层, 形成阶梯的AlGaN 外延层结构, 获得浓度分区的沟道2DEG, 使得阶梯AlGaN外延层边缘出现新的电场峰, 有效降低栅边缘的高峰电场, 从而优化了AlGaN/GaN HEMTs器件的表面电场分布. 实验获得了阈值电压-1.5 V的新型AlGaN/GaN HEMTs器件. 经过测试, 同样面积的器件击穿电压从传统结构的67 V提高到新结构的106 V, 提高了58%左右; 脉冲测试下电流崩塌量也比传统结构减少了30%左右, 电流崩塌效应得到了一定的缓解.     

AlGaN/GaN HEMT器件电流坍塌和膝点电压漂移机理的研究

考虑了势垒层、缓冲层体陷阱及表面电荷的浓度变化对电流坍塌和膝点电压的影响,发现表面电荷和势垒层体陷阱浓度的变化对沟道电子的浓度影响较小,表面电荷浓度变化下的膝点电压的偏移和坍塌强度的大小与势垒层势阱能量的变化有着主要的关系.缓冲层有着比势垒层更强的局域作用,势垒层和缓冲层的体陷阱浓度在一定范围变化时的膝点电压偏移主要是由沟道电子浓度的变化而引起的,但偏移量却比表面电荷浓度变化的情况下小很多.势阱能量的变化是造成膝点电压偏移的重要原因,坍塌强度主要取决于势阱能量和沟道的电子浓度. 关键词： AlGaN/GaN高电子迁移率晶体管 电流坍塌 膝点电压 陷阱俘获     

Schottky forward current transport mechanisms in AlGaN/GaN HEMTs over a wide temperature range

The behavior of Schottky contacts in AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors(HEMTs) is investigated by temperature-dependent current–voltage(T –I–V) measurements from 300 K to 473 K. The ideality factor and barrier height determined based on the thermionic emission(TE) theory are found to be strong functions of temperature, while present a great deviation from the theoretical value, which can be expounded by the barrier height inhomogeneities. In order to determine the forward current transport mechanisms, the experimental data are analyzed using numerical fitting method,considering the temperature-dependent series resistance. It is observed that the current flow at room temperature can be attributed to the tunneling mechanism, while thermionic emission current gains a growing proportion with an increase in temperature. Finally, the effective barrier height is derived based on the extracted thermionic emission component, and an evaluation of the density of dislocations is made from the I–V characteristics, giving a value of 1.49 × 107cm-2.     

Intrinsic relationship between photoluminescence and electrical characteristics in modulation Fe-doped AlGaN/GaN HEMTs

The photoluminescence(PL) and electrical properties of Al GaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors(HEMTs) with different Fe doping concentrations in the GaN buffer layers were studied. It was found that, at low Fe doping concentrations,the introduction of Fe atoms can result in a downward shift of the Fermi level in the GaN buffer layer, since the Fe atoms substitute Ga and introduce an Fe_(Ga)~(3+/2+) acceptor level. This results in a decrease in the yellow luminescence(YL) emission intensity accompanied by the appearance of an infrared(IR) emission, and a decrease in the off-state buffer leakage current(BLC). However, a further increase in the Fe doping concentration will conversely result in the upward shift of the Fermi level due to the incorporation of O donors under the large flow rate of the Fe source. This results in an increased YL emission intensity accompanied by a decrease in the IR emission intensity, and an increase in the BLC. The intrinsic relationship between the PL and BLC characteristics is expected to provide a simple and effective method to understand the variation of the electrical characteristic in the modulation Fe-doped HEMTs by optical measurements.     

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.     

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.     

AlGaN/GaN 高速电子迁移率晶体管器件电流坍塌效应与界面热阻和温度的研究

本文系统研究了AlGaN/GaN基高速电子迁移率晶体管器件界面热阻和工作温度对器件在高功率下的电流坍塌效应的影响规律.研究发现低漏极电压下热电子是导致负微分输出电导的重要因素,器件工作温度变高会使负微分输出电导减小.高漏极电压下自加热效应是导致电流坍塌的一个重要因素.随着界面热阻的增加,器件跨导降低,阈值电压增大.同时,由于工作环境温度的增高,器件随之温度增高,载流子迁移率会显著降低. 最终这两种因素会引起AlGaN/GaN基高速电子迁移率晶体管器件显著的电流坍塌效应,从而降低了器件整体性能. 关键词： AlGaN/GaN HEMT 器件 热电子效应 自加热效应 电流坍塌效应     

High power-added-efficiency AlGaN/GaN HEMTs fabricated by atomic level controlled etching

An atomic-level controlled etching(ACE)technology is invstigated for the fabrication of recessed gate AlGaN/GaN high-electron-mobility transistors(HEMTs)with high power added efficiency.We compare the recessed gate HEMTs with conventional etching(CE)based chlorine,Cl₂-only ACE and BCl³/Cl₂ACE,respectively.The mixed radicals of BCl₃/Cl₂were used as the active reactants in the step of chemical modification.For ensuring precise and controllable etching depth and low etching damage,the kinetic energy of argon ions was accurately controlled.These argon ions were used precisely to remove the chemical modified surface atomic layer.Compared to the HEMTs with CE,the characteristics of devices fabricated by ACE are significantly improved,which benefits from significant reduction of etching damage.For BCl₃/Cl₂ACE recessed HEMTs,the load pull test at 17 GHz shows a high power added efficiency(PAE)of 59.8%with an output power density of 1.6 W/mm at Vd=10 V,and a peak PAE of 44.8%with an output power density of 3.2 W/mm at Vd=20 V in a continuous-wave mode.     

A quasi-two-dimensional charge transport model of AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs)

A quasi-two-dimensional charge transport model of AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistor has been developed that is capable of accurately predicting the drain current as well as small-signal parameters such as drain conductance and device transconductance. This model built up with incorporation of fully and partially occupied sub-bands in the interface quantum well, combined with a numerically self-consistent solution of the Schrödinger and Poisson equations. In addition, nonlinear polarization effects, self-heating, voltage drops in the ungated regions of the device are also taken into account. Also, to develop the model, the accurate two-dimensional electron gas mobility and the electron drift velocity have been used. The calculated model results are in very good agreement with existing experimental data for Al_mGa_1−mN/GaN HEMT devices with Al mole fraction within the range from 0.15 to 0.50, especially in the linear regime of I–V curve.     

Investigation of passivation effects in AlGaN/GaN metal-insulator-semiconductor high electron-mobility transistor by gate-drain conductance dispersion study

This paper studies the drain current collapse of AlGaN/GaN metal-insulator-semiconductor high electron-mobility transistors (MIS-HEMTs) with NbAlO dielectric by applying dual-pulsed stress to the gate and drain of the device.For NbAlO MIS-HEMT,smaller current collapse is found,especially when the gate static voltage is 8 V.Through a thorough study of the gate-drain conductance dispersion,it is found that the growth of NbAlO can reduce the trap density of the AlGaN surface.Therefore,fewer traps can be filled by gate electrons,and hence the depletion effect in the channel is suppressed effectively.It is proved that the NbAlO gate dielectric can not only decrease gate leakage current but also passivate the AlGaN surface effectively,and weaken the current collapse effect accordingly.     

High temperature characteristics of AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors

Direct current (DC) and pulsed measurements are performed to determine the degradation mechanisms of AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) under high temperature. The degradation of the DC characteristics is mainly attributed to the reduction in the density and the mobility of the two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG). The pulsed measurements indicate that the trap assisted tunneling is the dominant gate leakage mechanism in the temperature range of interest. The traps in the barrier layer become active as the temperature increases, which is conducive to the electron tunneling between the gate and the channel. The enhancement of the tunneling results in the weakening of the current collapse effects, as the electrons trapped by the barrier traps can escape more easily at the higher temperature.     

AlGaN/GaN 高电子迁移率晶体管漏电流退化机理研究

本文首先制备了与AlGaN/GaN高电子迁移率晶体管 (HEMT) 结构与特性等效的AlGaN/GaN异质结肖特基二极管, 采用步进应力测试比较了不同栅压下器件漏电流的变化情况, 然后基于电流-电压和电容-电压测试验证了退化前后漏电流的传输机理, 并使用失效分析技术光发射显微镜 (EMMI) 观测器件表面的光发射, 研究了漏电流的时间依赖退化机理. 实验结果表明: 在栅压高于某临界值后, 器件漏电流随时间开始增加, 同时伴有较大的噪声. 将极化电场引入电流与电场的依赖关系后, 器件退化前后的 log(I_FT/E)与√E 都遵循良好的线性关系, 表明漏电流均由电子Frenkel-Poole (FP) 发射主导. 退化后 log(I_FT/E)与√E 曲线斜率的减小, 以及利用EMMI在栅边缘直接观察到了与缺陷存在对应关系的“热点”, 证明了漏电流退化的机理是: 高电场在AlGaN层中诱发了新的缺陷, 而缺陷密度的增加导致了FP发射电流I_FT的增加. 关键词： AlGaN/GaN 高电子迁移率晶体管 漏电流 退化机理     

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

High-performance low-leakage-current A1GaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors （HEMTs） on silicon （111） sub- strates 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 onμe. A 1μ m gate-length transistor with Mg-doped buffer layer exhibited an OFF-state drain leakage current of 8.3 × 10-8 A/mm, to our best knowledge, which is the lowest value reported for MOCVD-grown A1GaN/GaN HEMTs on Si featuring the same dimension and structure. The RF characteristics of 0.25-μ m gate length T-shaped gate HEMTs were also investigated.     

Improved device performance of recessed-gate AlGaN/GaN HEMTs by using in-situ N2O radical treatment

The N₂O radicals in-situ treatment on gate region has been employed to improve device performance of recessed-gate AlGaN/GaN high-electron-mobility transistors (HEMTs). The samples after gate recess etching were treated by N₂O radicals without physical bombardment. After in-situ treatment (IST) processing, the gate leakage currents decreased by more than one order of magnitude compared to the sample without IST. The fabricated HEMTs with the IST process show a low reverse gate current of 10^-9 A/mm, high on/off current ratio of 10⁸, and high f_T×L_g of 13.44 GHz· μm. A transmission electron microscope (TEM) imaging illustrates an oxide layer with a thickness of 1.8 nm exists at the AlGaN surface. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurement shows that the content of the Al-O and Ga-O bonds elevated after IST, indicating that the Al-N and Ga-N bonds on the AlGaN surface were broken and meanwhile the Al-O and Ga-O bonds formed. The oxide formed by a chemical reaction between radicals and the surface of the AlGaN barrier layer is responsible for improved device characteristics.     

AlGaN/GaN HEMT器件直流扫描电流崩塌机理及其物理模型

通过对AlGaN/GaN HEMT器件直流扫描情况下电流崩塌现象和机理的分析，建立了一个AlGaN/GaN HEMT器件的直流扫描电流崩塌模型.该模型从AlGaN/GaN器件工作机理出发，综合考虑了器件结构、半导体表面与界面，以及量子阱特殊结构对电流崩塌的影响.实验反复证明了该模型与实验结果有良好的一致性. 关键词： AlGaN/GaN HEMT 直流扫描 电流崩塌 模型