AlGaN/GaN-based HEMT on SiC substrate for microwave characteristics using different passivation layers

In this paper, a new gate-recessed AlGaN/GaN-based high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) on SiC substrate is proposed and its DC as well as microwave characteristics are discussed for Si₃N₄ and SiO₂ passivation layers using technology computer aided design (TCAD). The two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) transport properties are discussed by solving Schr?dinger and Poisson equations self-consistently resulting in various subbands having electron eigenvalues. From DC characteristics, the saturation drain currents are measured to be 600?mA/mm and 550?mA/mm for Si₃N₄ and SiO₂ passivation layers respectively. Apart from DC, small-signal AC analysis has been done using two-port network for various microwave parameters. The extrinsic transconductance parameters are measured to be 131.7?mS/mm at a gate voltage of V _gs?= ?0.35?V and 114.6?mS/mm at a gate voltage of V _gs?= ?0.4?V for Si₃N₄ and SiO₂ passivation layers respectively. The current gain cut-off frequencies (f _t) are measured to be 27.1?GHz and 23.97?GHz in unit-gain-point method at a gate voltage of ?0.4?V for Si₃N₄ and SiO₂ passivation layers respectively. Similarly, the power gain cut-off frequencies (f _max) are measured to be 41?GHz and 38.5?GHz in unit-gain-point method at a gate voltage of ?0.1?V for Si₃N₄ and SiO₂ passivation layers respectively. Furthermore, the maximum frequency of oscillation or unit power gain (MUG = 1) cut-off frequencies for Si₃N₄ and SiO₂ passivation layers are measured to be 32?GHz and 28?GHz respectively from MUG curves and the unit current gain, ?O?h ₂₁??O?=?1 cut-off frequencies are measured to be 140?GHz and 75?GHz for Si₃N₄ and SiO₂ passivation layers respectively from the abs ?O?h ₂₁??O curves. HEMT with Si₃N₄ passivation layer gives better results than HEMT with SiO₂ passivation layer.     

Radiation damage effects on power VDMOS devices with composite SiO2–Si3N4 films

Total dose effects and single event effects on radiation-hardened power vertical double-diffusion metal oxide semiconductor (VDMOS) devices with composite SiO₂-–Si₃N₄ film gate are investigated. The relationships among the important electrical parameters of the samples with different thickness SiO₂-–Si₃N₄ films, such as threshold voltage, breakdown voltage, and on-state resistance in accumulated dose, are discussed. The total dose experiment results show that the breakdown voltage and the on-state resistance barely change with the accumulated dose. However, the relationships between the threshold voltages of the samples and the accumulated dose are more complex, not only positive drift, but also negative drift. At the end of the total dose experiment, we select the group of samples which have the smaller threshold voltage shift to carry out the single event effect studies. We find that the samples with appropriate thickness ratio SiO₂-–Si₃N₄ films have a good radiation-hardening ability. This method may be useful in solving both the SEGR and the total dose problems with the composite SiO₂-–Si₃N₄ films.     

Observing the effect of water vapor on post-irradiated surface morphology of SiO2 and Si3N4 insulators by atomic force microscopy

In this work, we investigated the effect of water-vapor treatment on the surface morphology of SiO₂ and Si₃N₄ insulators before and after Co⁶⁰ gamma-ray irradiation by using the atomic force microscopy (AFM) operated under non-contact mode. Before irradiation, no apparent surface morphology change was found in SiO₂ samples even they were water vapor treated. However, bright spots were found on post-irradiated water-vapor-treated SiO₂ sample surfaces but not on those without water-vapor treatment. We attributed the bright spots to the negative charge accumulation in the oxide due to charge balancing between hydroxyl (OH⁻) ions adsorbed on SiO₂ surface and electron-hole pairs (ehps) generated during irradiation since they can be annealed out after low temperature annealing process. On the contrary, no bright spots were observed on post-irradiated Si₃N₄ samples with and without water-vapor treatment. This result confirms that Si₃N₄ is a better water-resist passivation layer than SiO₂ layer.     

Si3N4的晶体化和ZrN/Si3N4纳米多层膜的超硬效应

研究了Si₃N₄层在ZrN/Si₃N₄纳米多层膜中的晶化现象及其对多层膜微结构与力学性能的影响. 一系列不同Si₃N₄层厚度的ZrN/Si₃N₄纳米多层膜通过反应磁控溅射法制备. 利用X射线衍射仪、高分辨透射电子显微镜和微力学探针表征了多层膜的微结构和力学性能. 结果表明，由于受到ZrN调制层晶体结构的模板作用，溅射条件下以非晶态存在的Si₃N₄层在其厚度小于0.9 nm时被强制晶化为NaCl结构的赝晶体，ZrN/Si₃N₄纳米多层膜形成共格外延生长的柱状晶，并相应地产生硬度升高的超硬效应. Si₃N₄随层厚的进一步增加又转变为非晶态，多层膜的共格生长结构因而受到破坏，其硬度也随之降低.     

Si3N4在h-AlN上的晶体化与AlN/Si3N4纳米多层膜的超硬效应

采用反应磁控溅射法制备了一系列具有不同Si₃N₄层厚度的AlN/Si₃N₄纳米多层膜,利用X射线衍射仪、高分辨透射电子显微镜和微力学探针表征了多层膜的微结构和力学性能.研究了Si₃N₄层在AlN/Si₃N₄纳米多层膜中的晶化现象及其对多层膜生长结构与力学性能的影响.结果表明,在六方纤锌矿结构的晶体AlN调制层的模板作用下,通常溅射条件下以非晶态存在的Si₃N₄层在其厚度小于约1nm时被强制晶化为结构与AlN相同的赝形晶体,AlN/Si₃N₄纳米多层膜形成共格外延生长的结构,相应地,多层膜产生硬度升高的超硬效应.Si₃N₄随层厚的进一步增加又转变为非晶态,多层膜的共格生长结构因而受到破坏,其硬度也随之降低.分析认为,AlN/Si₃N₄纳米多层膜超硬效应的产生与多层膜共格外延生长所形成的拉压交变应力场导致的两调制层模量差的增大有关. 关键词： 3N₄纳米多层膜')" href="#">AlN/Si₃N₄纳米多层膜 外延生长 赝晶体 超硬效应     

Crystallization of amorphous Si3N4 and superhardness effect in HfC/Si3N4 nanomultilayers

HfC/Si₃N₄ nanomultilayers with various thicknesses of Si₃N₄ layer have been prepared by reactive magnetron sputtering. Microstructure and mechanical properties of the multilayers have been investigated. The results show that amorphous Si₃N₄ is forced to crystallize and grow coherently with HfC when the Si₃N₄ layer thickness is less than 0.95 nm, correspondingly the multilayers exhibit strong columnar structure and achieve a significantly enhanced hardness with the maximum of 38.2 GPa. Further increasing Si₃N₄ layer thickness leads to the formation of amorphous Si₃N₄, which blocks the coherent growth of multilayer, and thus the hardness of multilayer decreases quickly.     

AlN/Si3N4纳米多层膜的外延生长与力学性能

采用射频磁控溅射方法制备单层AlN, Si₃N₄薄膜和不同调制周期的AlN/Si₃N₄纳米多层膜.采用X射线衍射仪、高分辨透射电子显微镜和纳米压痕仪对薄膜进行表征.结果发现,多层膜中Si₃N₄层的晶体结构和多层膜的硬度依赖于Si₃N₄层的厚度.当AlN层厚度为4.0nm、 Si₃N₄层厚度 关键词： 3N₄纳米多层膜')" href="#">AlN/Si₃N₄纳米多层膜 外延生长 应力场 超硬效应     

High-voltage SiC power devices for improved energy efficiency

Silicon carbide (SiC) power devices significantly outperform the well-established silicon (Si) devices in terms of high breakdown voltage, low power loss, and fast switching. This review briefly introduces the major features of SiC power devices and then presents research works on breakdown phenomena in SiC pn junctions and related discussion which takes into account the energy band structure. Next, recent progress in SiC metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistors, which are the most important unipolar devices, is described with an emphasis on the improvement of channel mobility at the SiO₂/SiC interface. The development of SiC bipolar devices such as pin diodes and insulated gate bipolar transistors, which are promising for ultrahigh-voltage (>10 kV) applications, are introduced and the effect of carrier lifetime enhancement is demonstrated. The current status of mass production and how SiC power devices can contribute to energy saving are also described.     

The electrical characteristics of a 4H-silicon carbide metal-insulator-semiconductor structure with Al2O3 as the gate dielectric

A 4H-silicon carbide metal-insulator-semiconductor structure with ultra-thin Al₂O₃ as the gate dielectric, deposited by atomic layer deposition on the epitaxial layer of a 4H-SiC (0001) 8⁰N-/N+ substrate, has been fabricated. The experimental results indicate that the prepared ultra-thin Al₂O₃ gate dielectric exhibits good physical and electrical characteristics, including a high breakdown electrical field of 25 MV/cm, excellent interface properties (1×10¹⁴ cm^-2) and low gate-leakage current (I_G = 1 × 10^-3 A/cm^-2@E_ox = 8 MV/cm). Analysis of the current conduction mechanism on the deposited Al₂O₃ gate dielectric was also systematically performed. The confirmed conduction mechanisms consisted of Fowler-Nordheim (FN) tunneling, the Frenkel-Poole mechanism, direct tunneling and Schottky emission, and the dominant current conduction mechanism depends on the applied electrical field. When the gate leakage current mechanism is dominated by FN tunneling, the barrier height of SiC/Al₂O₃ is 1.4 eV, which can meet the requirements of silicon carbide metal-insulator-semiconductor transistor devices.     

Hot-electron reliability improvement using perhydropolysilazane spin-on-dielectric passivation buffer layers for AlGaN/GaN HEMTs

We investigate the effects of perhydropolysilazane spin-on-dielectric (SOD) buffer layer adopted prior to Si₃N₄ passivation on the dc drain current level and degradation after the electrical stress in the AlGaN-GaN high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs). The SOD-buffered HEMTs show ∼1.6 times greater drain current densities (∼257 mA/mm) than those of the devices with conventional-Si₃N₄ passivations (∼155 mA/mm). After the hot electron stresses (step-wise and constant) applied to the devices, it is also found that the SOD-buffered structure produces greatly improved device reliability in terms of the dc current collapse (15% for step-stress and constant stress) compared to the conventional structure (25% for each case). We propose that the enhancement of SOD-buffered structure in dc current collapse is due to the reduction in surface state density at the passivation interface and the suppressed electron trapping.     

Effects of an AlN passivation layer on the microstructure and electronic properties of AlGaN/GaN heterostructures

Effects of an AlN passivation layer on the microstructure and electronic properties of AlGaN/GaN heterostructures were investigated by X-ray diffraction and Hall effect measurements. AlN passivation induced an additional compressive stress in an AlGaN barrier layer instead of an additional tensile stress induced by Si₃N₄ passivation. The change of strain after passivation contributes in a relatively small proportion to the variation of the carrier concentration in AlGaN/GaN heterostructures compared with the contribution from passivation of surface traps. The results from Hall effect measurements show that the AlN passivation layer has a better effect on passivation of deep levels than the Si₃N₄ film and also results in a remarkable increase in mobility of the two-dimensional electron gas. PACS 73.40.Kp; 71.55.Eq; 81.65.Rv; 81.05.Ea; 61.05.cp     

Investigation of SiO2/Si3N4 films prepared on sapphire by r.f. magnetron reactive sputtering

Sapphire is a desired material for infrared-transmitting windows and domes because of its excellent optical and mechanical properties. However, its thermal shock resistance is limited by loss of compressive strength along the c-axis of the crystal with increasing temperature. In this paper, double layer films of SiO₂/Si₃N₄ were prepared on sapphire (α-Al₂O₃) by radio frequency magnetron reactive sputtering in order to increase both transmission and high temperature mechanical performance of infrared windows of sapphire. Composition and structure of each layer of the films were analyzed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD), respectively. Surface morphology and roughness of coated and uncoated sapphire have been measured using a talysurf. Flexural strengths of sapphire sample uncoated and coated with SiO₂/Si₃N₄ have been studied by 3-point bending tests at different temperatures. The results show that SiO₂/Si₃N₄ films can improve the surface morphology and reduce the surface roughness of sapphire substrate. In addition, the designed SiO₂/Si₃N₄ films can increase the transmission of sapphire in mid-wave infrared and strengthen sapphire at high temperatures. Results for 3-point bending tests indicated that the SiO₂/Si₃N₄ films increased the flexural strength of c-axis sapphire by a factor of about 1.4 at 800 °C.     

Effect of processing parameters on the deposition rate of Si3N4/Si2N2O by chemical vapor infiltration and the in situ thermal decomposition of Na2SiF6

Silicon nitride (Si₃N₄) and oxynitride (Si₂N₂O) were deposited by chemical vapor infiltration (CVI) through a novel route involving the in-situ thermal decomposition of Na₂SiF₆ in commercial nitrogen precursors containing impurity oxygen. In addition, the quantitative effect of processing time (30, 60, 90, 120 min), temperature (1000, 1100, 1200 and 1300 °C), nitrogen precursor (N₂ or N₂-5%NH₃) and gas flow rate (46.5, 93, 120 and 240 cm³/min) on phase percentage and deposition rate of Si₃N₄ and Si₂N₂O was investigated. Analysis of variance shows that the parameter that most significantly impacts the total amount of deposited phase is the processing temperature, followed by processing time and nitrogen precursor. Regardless of the nitrogen precursor, at 1300 °C, Si₃N₄ and Si₂N₂O depositions follow an S-like and parabolic behavior, respectively. The incubation period shown by Si₃N₄ in N₂-5%NH₃ is associated to a decrease in the O₂ partial pressure during Si₂N₂O formation while the rapid increase at long processing times is attributed to the enhanced effect of hydrogen. PACS 81.15.Gh; 81.05.Je; 81.15.-z; 81.05.Rm; 47.85.L-     

Characterization of Al2O3 /GaN/AlGaN/GaN metalinsulator-semiconductor high electron mobility transistors with different gate recess depths

In this paper,in order to solve the interface-trap issue and enhance the transconductance induced by high-k dielectric in metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs),we demonstrate better performances of recessed-gate Al 2 O 3 MIS-HEMTs which are fabricated by Fluorine-based Si 3 N 4 etching and chlorinebased AlGaN etching with three etching times (15 s,17 s and 19 s).The gate leakage current of MIS-HEMT is about three orders of magnitude lower than that of AlGaN/GaN HEMT.Through the recessed-gate etching,the transconductance increases effectively.When the recessed-gate depth is 1.02 nm,the best interface performance with τ it =(0.20-1.59) μs and D it =(0.55-1.08)×10 12 cm 2 ·eV 1 can be obtained.After chlorine-based etching,the interface trap density reduces considerably without generating any new type of trap.The accumulated chlorine ions and the N vacancies in the AlGaN surface caused by the plasma etching can degrade the breakdown and the high frequency performances of devices.By comparing the characteristics of recessed-gate MIS-HEMTs with different etching times,it is found that a low power chlorine-based plasma etching for a short time (15 s in this paper) can enhance the performances of MIS-HEMTs effectively.     

Pool-Frenkel effect and high frequency dielectric constant determination of semiconducting P2O5-Li2MoO4-Li2O and P2O5-Na2MoO4-Na2O bulk glasses

The ternary 70P₂O₅-10Li₂MoO₄-20Li₂O and 70P₂O₅-10Na₂MoO₄-20Na₂O glasses, prepared by the press-melt quenching technique, were studied at temperatures between 298 and 418 K for their high dc electric field properties. For the above purpose, the effect of a strong electric field on the dc conduction of these amorphous bulk samples was investigated using the gap-type electrode configuration. At low electric fields, the current-voltage (I — V) characteristics have a linear shape, while at high electric fields (> 10³ V/cm), bulk samples show nonlinear effects (nonohmic conduction). Current-voltage curves show increasing departure from Ohm’s law with increasing current density, leading to critical phenomena at a maximum voltage (threshold voltage), known as switching (switch from a low-conduction state to a higher-conduction state at threshold voltage). The Pool-Frenkel high-field effect was observed at electrical fields of about 10³–10⁴ V/cm; then the lowering factor of the potential barrier, the high frequency dielectric constant, and the refractive index of these glasses were determined.      

Preparation, characterization and luminescence properties of porous Si3N4 ceramics with Eu2O3 as sintering additive

Porous Si₃N₄ ceramics with photoluminescence properties were prepared by pressureless sintering using α-Si₃N₄ powder as raw material and Eu₂O₃ as sintering additive. Chemical composition, phase formation, microstructure and photoluminescence properties of porous Si₃N₄ ceramics were studied by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and photoluminescence measurements (PL/PLE). The results show that single Eu₂O₃ additive promotes α→β transformation but not significant densification. A broad band emission center at 570 nm assigned to Eu²⁺ is observed, Eu³⁺ in Eu₂O₃ is (partially) converted to Eu²⁺ by reaction with Si₃N₄, which results in a lower β aspect ratio and β-content compared to the other Ln (Ln=lanthanide) oxide additives.     

Si3N4做电子加速层的聚［2-甲氧基-5-(2-乙基-己氧基)-1，4-苯撑乙烯撑］固态阴极射线发光

用Si₃N₄作为电子加速层制备了固态阴极射线发光器件,其中发光层为聚［2-甲氧基-5-(2-乙基-己氧基)-1,4-苯撑乙烯撑］(MEH-PPV).在交流电压的驱动下,实现了MEH-PPV的固态阴极射线发光.与SiO₂做电子加速层的器件进行了对比研究,两种器件在交流电场的驱动下都得到了波峰位于417nm的短波长发光峰,它来自有机物中电子从最低未占分子轨道到最高占据分子轨道的直接复合发光,这进一步证明了固态阴极射线理论的正确性.在交流高场下比 关键词： 固态阴极射线发光 3N₄')" href="#">Si₃N₄ 电子加速层 电致发光     

基于原位等离子体氮化及低压化学气相沉积-Si_3N_4栅介质的高性能AlGaN/GaN MIS-HEMTs器件的研究

通过对低压化学气相沉积(LPCVD)系统进行改造,实现在沉积Si_3N_4薄膜前的原位等离子体氮化处理,氮等离子体可以有效地降低器件界面处的氧含量和悬挂键,从而获得了较低的LPCVD-Si_3N_4/GaN界面态,通过这种技术制作的MIS-HEMTs器件,在扫描栅压范围V_(G-sweep)=(-30 V,+24 V)时,阈值回滞为186 mV,据我们所知为目前高扫描栅压V_(G+)(20 V)下的最好结果.动态测试表明,在400 V关态应力下,器件的导通电阻仅仅上升1.36倍(关态到开态的时间间隔为100μs).     

Analysis of the induced photothermal conduction in the Mn4Si7-Si〈Mn〉-Mn4Si7 and Mn4Si7-Si〈Mn〉-M heterojunctions

The kinetics of photocurrent is studied in the presence of the intrinsic irradiation at hν ≥ 1.12 eV in the Mn₄Si₇-Si〈Mn〉-Mn₄Si₇ and Mn₄Si₇-Si〈Mn〉-M heterojunctions at relatively high applied voltages. It is demonstrated that photocurrent, scattered power, and temperature at the reverse-biased contact of the heterojunction depend on time at dc applied voltage, low temperature, and irradiation at hν ≥ 1.12 eV. The analysis of the temperature dependences of the photocurrent growth with time is used to demonstrate that the photocurrent pulses consist of two fragments: the first one corresponds to a slowly increasing relatively low current with a slope of (2–4) × 10^?4 A/s and the second fragment is characterized by a sharp increase in the current with a slope of 0.1–1.0 A/s. Based on the slopes, the heating rates (β₁ = 42 deg/s and β₂ = 3 × 10³ deg/s) and temperature gradients across the transient layer that corresponds to the Mn₄Si₇-Si〈Mn〉 interface (ΔT/Δx = 6.3 × 10⁶ K/cm for β₁ = 42 deg/s and ΔT/Δx ≥ 1.5 × 10⁸ K/cm for β₂ = 3 × 10³ deg/s) are estimated. It is demonstrated that the Joule self-heating allows relatively high heating rates in the reverse-biased contact of heterojunction, which provides rapid heating similar to the rectangular step excitation that is equivalent to the activation of the long-wavelength (extrinsic) irradiation.