Simulation design of normally-off AlGaN/GaN high-electron-mobility transistors with p-GaN Schottky hybrid gate

A novel normally-off AlGaN/GaN high-electron-mobility transistor (HEMT) with a p-GaN Schottky hybrid gate (PSHG) is proposed, and compared with the conventional p-GaN normally-off AlGaN/GaN HEMTs. This structure can be realized by selective etching of p-GaN layer, which enables the Schottky junction and PN junction to control the channel charge at the same time. The direct current (DC) and switching characteristics of the PSHG HEMTs are simulated by Slivaco TCAD, and the p-GaN HEMTs and conventional normally-on HEMTs are also simulated for comparison. The simulation results show that the PSHG HEMTs have a higher current density and a lower on-resistance than p-GaN HEMTs, which is more obvious with the decrease of p-GaN ratios of the PSHG HEMTs. The breakdown voltage and threshold voltage of the PSHG HEMTs are very close to those of the p-GaN HEMTs. In addition, the PSHG HEMTs have a higher switching speed than the conventional normally-on HEMTs, and the p-GaN layer ratio has no obvious effect on the switching speed.     

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     

Effect of gate length on breakdown voltage in AlGaN/GaN high-electron-mobility transistor

The effects of gate length L_G on breakdown voltage VBRare investigated in AlGaN/GaN high-electron-mobility transistors(HEMTs) with L_G= 1 μm~20 μm. With the increase of L_G, VBRis first increased, and then saturated at LG= 3 μm. For the HEMT with L_G= 1 μm, breakdown voltage VBRis 117 V, and it can be enhanced to 148 V for the HEMT with L-_G= 3 μm. The gate length of 3 μm can alleviate the buffer-leakage-induced impact ionization compared with the gate length of 1 μm, and the suppression of the impact ionization is the reason for improving the breakdown voltage.A similar suppression of the impact ionization exists in the HEMTs with LG 3 μm. As a result, there is no obvious difference in breakdown voltage among the HEMTs with LG= 3 μm~20 μm, and their breakdown voltages are in a range of 140 V–156 V.     

用逆压电极化模型对AlGaN/GaN 高电子迁移率晶体管电流崩塌现象的研究

通过自洽求解一维Poisson-Schrdinger方程,模拟了AlGaN/GaN高电子迁移率晶体管在工作时等效外电场对AlGaN/GaN异质结沟道处二维电子气(2DEG)浓度的影响.分析了逆压电极化效应的作用,从正-逆压电极化现象出发,提出了逆压电极化模型.计算结果显示：逆压电极化明显影响2DEG性质,当Al组分x=0.3,AlGaN层厚度为20 nm时,不考虑逆压电极化,2DEG浓度为1.53×10¹³cm^-2;当等效外电压分别为10和15V 关键词： AlGaN/GaN高电子迁移率晶体管 Poisson-Schrdinger方程 逆压电极化模型 电流崩塌     

Low dose 60Co gamma-irradiation effects on electronic carrier transport and DC characteristics of AlGaN/GaN high-electron-mobility transistors

The impact of internal irradiation with secondary Compton electrons, generated by gamma-photons, on the characteristics of III-N/GaN-based devices was explored. N-channel AlGaN/GaN high-electron-mobility transistors (HEMTs) were exposed to gamma-radiation from a ⁶⁰Co source for doses up to 600?Gy. Temperature-dependent electron beam-induced current (EBIC) was employed to measure minority carrier transport properties. For low doses below ～250?Gy, the minority carrier diffusion length in AlGaN/GaN HEMTs is shown to increase by about 40%. This increase is likely due to longer minority carrier lifetime induced by internal Compton electron irradiation. An associated decrease in activation energy, extracted from temperature-dependent EBIC, was also found. The obtained increase in transconductance and decrease in gate leakage current indicate an improvement in performance of the devices after low doses of irradiation. For high doses of gamma-irradiation, above ～300?Gy, the performance of HEMTs showed a deterioration. The deterioration results from the onset of increased carrier scattering due to additional radiation-induced defects, as is translated in a decrease of minority carrier diffusion length.     

Fabrication and characterization of V-gate AlGaN/GaN high-electron-mobility transistors

V-gate GaN high-electron-mobility transistors (HEMTs) are fabricated and investigated systematically. A V-shaped recess geometry is obtained using an improved Si3N4 recess etching technology. Compared with standard HEMTs, the fabricated V-gate HEMTs exhibit a 17% higher peak extrinsic transconductance due to a narrowed gate foot. Moreover, both the gate leakage and current dispersion are dramatically suppressed simultaneously, although a slight degradation of frequency response is observed. Based on a two-dimensional electric field simulation using Silvaco "ATLAS" for both standard HEMTs and V-gate HEMTs, the relaxation in peak electric field at the gate edge is identified as the predominant factor leading to the superior performance of V-gate HEMTs.     

Neutron irradiation effects on AlGaN/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 × 10¹⁵ 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.     

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     

Electric field driven plasmon dispersion in AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors

We present a theoretical study on the electric field driven plasmon dispersion of the two-dimensional electron gas(2DEG)in AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors(HEMTs).By introducing a drifted Fermi–Dirac distribution,we calculate the transport properties of the 2DEG in the AlGaN/GaN interface by employing the balance-equation approach based on the Boltzmann equation.Then,the nonequilibrium Fermi–Dirac function is obtained by applying the calculated electron drift velocity and electron temperature.Under random phase approximation(RPA),the electric field driven plasmon dispersion is investigated.The calculated results indicate that the plasmon frequency is dominated by both the electric field and the angle between wavevector and electric field.Importantly,the plasmon frequency could be tuned by the applied source–drain bias voltage besides the gate voltage(change of the electron density).     

A novel enhancement mode AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistor with split floating gates

A novel enhancement-mode AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistor(HEMT) is proposed and studied.Specifically,several split floating gates(FGs) with negative charges are inserted to the conventional MIS structure.The simulation results revealed that the V_(th) decreases with the increase of polarization sheet charge density and the tunnel dielectric(between FGs and AlGaN) thickness,while it increases with the increase of FGs sheet charge density and blocking dielectric(between FGs and control gate) thickness.In the case of the same gate length,the V_(th) will left shift with decreasing FG length.More interestingly,the split FGs could significantly reduce the device failure probability in comparison with the single large area FG structure.     

X-band AlGaN/GaN HEMTs with high microwave power performance

An X-band AlGaN/GaN high-electron-mobility transistor (HEMT) on SiC substrate with high microwave power performances has been achieved. Its small-signal characteristics with a gate-length of 0.4 μm showed a unity current gain cut-off frequency (fT) of 22 GHz and a maximum oscillation frequency (fmax) of 65 GHz. The GaN HEMT device with a gate width of 1 mm exhibited a continuous-wave saturated output power of 10.2 W and a linear gain of 14.8 dB at 8 GHz, and successfully achieved the power-added efficiency ...     

Time-dependent degradation of threshold voltage in AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors

This paper gives a detailed analysis of the time-dependent degradation of the threshold voltage in AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors(HEMTs) submitted to off-state stress. The threshold voltage shows a positive shift in the early stress, then turns to a negative shift. The negative shift of the threshold voltage seems to have a long recovery time. A model related with the balance of electron trapping and detrapping induced by shallow donors and deep acceptors is proposed to explain this degradation mode.     

Monolithic integration of AlGaN/GaN metal—insulator field-effect transistor with ultra-low voltage-drop diode for self-protection

In this paper, we present a monolithic integration of self-protected AlGaN/GaN metal-insulator field-effect transistor (MISFET). An integrated field-controlled diode on the drain side of the AlGaN/GaN MISFET features self-protected function at reverse bias. This diode takes advantage of the recessed-barrier enhancement-mode technique to realize an ultra-low voltage drop and a low turn-ON voltage. In the smart monolithic integration, this integrated diode can block reverse bias (>70 V/μm) and suppress the leakage current (<5×10^-11 A/mm). Compared with conventional monolithic integration, the numerical results show that the MISFET integrated with a field-controlled diode leads to a good performance for smart power integration. And the power loss is lower than 50% in conduction without forward current degeneration.     

Monolithic integration of an AlGaN/GaN metalinsulator field-effect transistor with an ultra-low voltage-drop diode for self-protection

In this paper,we present a monolithic integration of a self-protected AlGaN/GaN metal-insulator field-effect transistor(MISFET).An integrated field-controlled diode on the drain side of the AlGaN/GaN MISFET features a selfprotected function for a reverse bias.This diode takes advantage of the recessed-barrier enhancement-mode technique to realize an ultra-low voltage drop and a low turn-ON voltage.In the smart monolithic integration,this integrated diode can block a reverse bias(> 70 V/μm) and suppress the leakage current(< 5 × 10-11 A/mm).Compared with conventional monolithic integration,the numerical results show that the MISFET integrated with a field-controlled diode leads to a good performance for smart power integration.And the power loss is lower than 50% in conduction without forward current degeneration.     

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.     

Photoresponse and trap characteristics of transparent AZO-gated AlGaN/GaN HEMT

AZO-gated and Ni/Au-gated AlGaN/GaN HEMTs are fabricated successfully,and an excellent transparency of AZOgated electrode is achieved.After a negative gate bias stress acts on two kinds of the devices,their photoresponse characteristics are investigated by using laser sources with different wavelengths.The effect of photoresponse on AZO-gated electrode device is more obvious than on Ni/Au-gated electrodes device.The electrons are trapped in the AlGaN barrier of AZO-gated HEMT after it has experienced negative gate bias stress,and then the electrons can be excited effectively after it has been illuminated by the light with certain wavelengths.Furthermore,the trap state density D_T and the time constantτ_T of the AZO-gated Schottky contact are extracted by fitting the measured parallel conductance in a frequency range from10 kHz to 10 MHz.The constants of the trap range from about 0.35 μs to 20.35 μs,and the trap state density increased from1.93×l0~(13)eV 1·cm~2 at an energy of 0.33 eV to 3.07×10~(11) eV~1·cm~2 at an energy of 0.40 eV.Moreover,the capacitance and conductance measurements are used to characterize the trapping effects under different illumination conditions in AZO-gated HEMTs.Reduced deep trap states' density is confirmed under the illumination of short wavelength light.     

Normally-off AlGaN/GaN heterojunction field-effect transistors with in-situ AlN gate insulator

AlGaN/GaN heterojunction field-effect transistors (HFETs) with p-GaN cap layer are developed for normally-off operation, in which an in-situ grown AlN layer is utilized as the gate insulator. Compared with the SiN_x gate insulator, the AlN/p-GaN interface presents a more obvious energy band bending and a wider depletion region, which helps to positively shift the threshold voltage. In addition, the relatively large conduction band offset of AlN/p-GaN is beneficial to suppress the gate leakage current and enhance the gate breakdown voltage. Owing to the introduction of AlN layer, normally-off p-GaN capped AlGaN/GaN HFET with a threshold voltage of 4 V and a gate swing of 13 V is realized. Furthermore, the field-effect mobility is approximately 1500 cm²·V^-1·s^-1 in the 2DEG channel, implying a good device performance.     

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.     

使用AlN/GaN超晶格势垒层生长高Al组分AlGaN/GaN HEMT结构

在蓝宝石衬底上生长了以AlN/GaN超晶格准AlGaN合金作为势垒的HEMT结构材料,并与传统AlGaN合金势垒样品进行了对比.在高Al组分(≥40%)情况下,超晶格势垒样品的表面形貌明显改进,电学性能特别是2DEG面电子浓度也有所改进.对超晶格势垒生长参数进行了初步优化,使得HEMT结构薄层电阻进一步降低,最后获得了251 Ω/□的薄层电阻. 关键词： AlGaN/GaN 结构 AlN/GaN超晶格 二维电子气 高电子迁移率晶体管