Design and development of an AlGaN/GaN heterostructure nano‐ATT oscillator: experimental feasibility studies in THz domain

Abstract

Numerical analysis followed by experimental investigations are done with heterostructure GaN/AlGaN single drift MIxed Tunnelling and Avalanche Transit Time (MITATT) devices grown on Si〈111〉 substrate, at around 1 THz. A generalised self-consistent, nonlinear Mixed Quantum Drift-Diffusion (MQDD) simulator is developed and used for designing p++-n−-n-n++ type room temperature solid-state source within 0.75–1.1 THz regime. The epitaxial heterojunction layers are grown by III–V nitride molecular beam epitaxy which has enabled the realisation of GaN/AlGaN periodic structure on Si〈111〉 substrate with AlN buffer layer. For the first time, the realisation of heterostructure III–V Nitride MITATT oscillator at sub-mm wave/terahertz (THz) frequencies is done. The device is observed to oscillate at 1 THz with ∼4%. A comparison of MQDD model with experimental (On wafer DC testing) results for heterojunction GaN/AlGaN MITATT diodes shows generalised agreement in terms of breakdown voltage (∼27 V) and efficiency (∼4%). First experimental results of GaN/AlGaN heterostructure MITATT diode are reported and compared with the theoretical predictions obtained through MQDD model.