GaAs(111)A/B surface orientation effects on electron density in normal and inverted pseudomorphic HEMTs

Abstract

We present calculations of the two-dimensional electron density in a Si δ-doped AlGaAs/InGaAs/GaAs pseudomorphic high electron mobility transistor (P-HEMT), at low temperature, for three different growth directions (001) and (111)A/B. The calculations are made using a self-consistent resolution of Schrodinger and Poisson equations. The presence of a strong built-in piezoelectric field in (111)A/B growth directions causes changes of the confining potential shape and the carrier distribution in the InGaAs channel. We discuss the influence of GaAs substrate orientation on the conduction-band structure and thereafter on the two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) concentration in the channel. Our results show that the calculated 2DEG concentration in the normal P-HEMT structure grown on a (111)A GaAs substrate is significantly higher than those grown on (001) and (111)B GaAs substrates. We also note an increase of the average separation between the ionized donors and the carriers. On the other hand, the GaAs (111)B substrate orientation appears as inadequate for the type of structure (normal P-HEMT) on account of the charge-transfer reduction in the channel compared with the (001) orientation. In contrast, we demonstrate that the calculated 2DEG Si δ-doped GaAs/InGaAs/AlGaAs pseudomorphic inverted high electron mobility transistor (PI-HEMT) grown on aGaAs (111)B substrate is appreciably higher than that grown on (001) and afterwards an enhancement of the spatial separation between confined electrons in the channel and ionized dopants occurs. These effects might result in considerably improved devices of great interest regarding high electron mobility.