HEMT Research Articles

Simulation and analysis of enhancement-mode AlGaN/GaN HEMT with P-I-N junction gate

To improve the threshold voltage and gate reliability of conventional enhancement-mode p-GaN-gated AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors while maintaining a low on-resistance, an improved design solution for p-GaN HEMTs with P-I-N junction gate (PIN-HEMTs) has been proposed. Simulation results show that energy band modulation is achieved by adjusting the doping concentration and thickness of each layer of the PIN junction, and high-performance p-GaN gate HEMTs with adjustable threshold voltages ranging from 0.56 V to 4.75 V and gate breakdown voltages ranging from 19.8 V to 30.3 V would be prepared. The PIN-HEMT has a quasi-self-alignment property, which means that good gate control is independent of gate metal alignment. This not only improves the production efficiency but also solves the problems of weak gate control and electric field aggregation at the gate edge caused by the gate misalignment in conventional p-GaN gate HEMTs, thus realizing lower on-resistance and higher gate breakdown voltage, which demonstrates this proposed structure has excellent potentials for realizing effective and reliable high-power transistors.

Analysis of breakdown voltage for GaN MIS-HEMT with various composite field plate configurations and passivation layers

The effects of different field plate designs on the breakdown voltage of GaN Metal-insulator-semiconductor high electron mobility transistors (MIS-HEMTs) were examined in this study. The study's primary goal was to determine the dependence of breakdown voltage with respective to composite field plate designs using TCAD simulation. For devices featuring only G-FP, with a fixed gate to drain distance of 15 μm and a fixed G-FP to drain distance of 15 μm, the maximum breakdown voltage was achieved 1 μm G-FP. Breakdown voltage trends were also determined for composite field plate configurations, such as adding a source field plate (S-FP) or a drain field plate (D-FP) with a fixed 1 μm G-FP length. A further enhancement in device breakdown performance was demonstrated by employing a novel D-FP structure. A single D-FP improves the breakdown voltage from 1.4 kV (conventional breakdown voltage with 1um G-FP) to 1.6 kV when combined with 1 μm G-FP, while the novel two-step D-FP achieves a breakdown voltage of about 1.7 kV when combined with 1 μm G-FP. We also investigated the influence of high-k dielectric passivation layers on the breakdown voltage. The breakdown voltage of the devices with optimized G-FP can be further improved by using high-k dielectric material as a passivation layer. The thorough investigations contribute to a better understanding of GaN MIS-HEMT breakdown characteristics and prospective pathways for improving their performance via unique field plate designs and superior dielectric materials.

Non-equilibrium thermal transport study in steady state GaN MISHEMT channel layer based on electron Monte Carlo and phonon BTE

An electro-thermal coupling simulator for GaN devices based on electron Monte Carlo (e-MC) simulations is established. Taking GaN Metal Insulator Semiconductor High Electron Mobility Transistor (MISHEMT) as example, the non-equilibrium thermal transport processes of self-heating effect in the channel layer are studied. This simulator is mainly coupled by e-MC and the phonon Boltzmann transport equation (pBTE), physical property parameters and electric field parameters are provided by first-principles and Technology Computer Aided Design (TCAD), respectively. We first verify the e-MC program by calculating the electron transport properties of GaN materials, verify the feasibility of the established GaN MISHEMT model by using TCAD and obtained its operating characteristics. Further, the simulator is used to evaluate the non-equilibrium processes inside the channel layer in detail, the results show that there is significant consistency in the peak positions of electric field strength, heat generation and diffusion temperature, the diffusion temperature peak occurs at the secondary peak of heat generation. The frequency distribution of phonon emission under different drain-source bias voltages is revealed by phonon emission spectrum analysis. The strength of the non-equilibrium effect is measured by effective temperature. Increasing the drain-source bias voltage will significantly increase the peak temperature of hotspot and further enhance the non-equilibrium effect. Our study reports an efficient scheme for electro-thermal simulations of GaN MISHEMT, which provides insights for thermal management of GaN-based transistor devices.

Hydrogen-assisted chemical vapor deposition for heteroepitaxial growth of pure ε-Ga2O3 films

This study presents a novel approach to control the crystalline phase and surface morphology of substable ε-Ga2O3 thin films by regulating the hydrogen flow rate during chemical vapor deposition (CVD). The objective is to achieve high-quality and cost-effective heteroepitaxial pure-phase single-crystalline ε-Ga2O3 thin films on sapphire substrates. The crystalline phases and crystalline qualities of the thin films were determined by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectroscopy. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) results show that the surface of the ε-Ga2O3 films prepared by this method is flat and the minimum value of the surface roughness (RMS) is 4.130 nm. We explain the reason for the differences in the surface morphology of the films from the point of view of hydrogen passivation. Measurements by UV–Visible spectrophotometer, the UV cut-off edge is located at 250 nm and the optical band gap is about 4.9 eV. The experimental results show that with the increase of hydrogen flow rate, the content of β-Ga2O3 in the films and the surface roughness and maximum height of the contour (RZ) decreases, until a smooth surface of the pure-phase ε-Ga2O3 film is produced. The success of the chemical vapor deposition method for heterogeneous epitaxy of high-quality ε-Ga2O3 films on sapphire substrates greatly reduces the production cost and expensive investment in production equipment, which makes its application in high electron mobility transistors, piezoelectric resonators, and sun-blind detectors have great potential, and at the same time, this method provides ideas for the preparation of other metastable materials.

Acoustic and optical plasmons excitation in double-channel AlGaN/GaN HEMT under asymmetric boundaries

We have simulatively studied the electrical excitation of acoustic and optical plasmons in double-channel AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors (HEMT) under asymmetric boundaries. By solving the self-consistent hydrodynamic model with Maxwell’s equations, it is found that the drift plasmons are excited in the bilayer 2DEGs under asymmetric boundaries. The oscillation intensity in a bilayer system is much stronger than that in a monolayer 2DEG system because of the simultaneous excitation of the fundamental and the second harmonic components. The fundamental component always corresponds to the acoustic plasmon, while the optical plasmon can be excited when it is resonant with the second harmonic of the acoustic plasmon. Because of the out-of-phase properties of the acoustic plasmons, their radiated power is limited by the current cancellation. On the other hand, as the optical plasmons are excited, the radiated powers are much higher than those of the single channel HEMT due to the in-phase currents generated in the double layers. The effects of different parameters such as gate lengths, 2DEG spacings, and electron concentrations on plasmon excitations and THz emissions of double-channel HEMTs are analyzed in detail. The numerical results provide a more powerful terahertz radiation mechanism in double-channel HEMT compared with the Dyakonov–Shur instability in traditional single-channel HEMT.

Reduction of off-state drain current in AlN/[formula omitted] HEMT by trap state engineering

In this work, we report various strategies to reduce the off-state drain leakage current (IOFF) in AlN/β−Ga2O3 high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) by 2D device simulation. We have investigated the effect of access region, channel doping concentration, barrier layer thickness, and trap state engineering on IOFF. The formation of a parallel channel deep into the substrate has been found to be responsible for large IOFF. All other strategies except trap state engineering have an incremental effect on IOFF. However, the device’s IOFF was reduced by around 12 orders of magnitude by trap-state engineering. Simultaneously, the on-state performance was unaffected, resulting in an elevated ION/IOFF current ratio of (1013). A steep subthreshold slope of 0.267 (V/dec) was also obtained. Further, we have investigated the impact of both donor- and acceptor-type traps on subthreshold characteristics. These promising results highlight the potential of AlN/β−Ga2O3 HEMT as a switch and for future high-power nanoelectronics applications.

Effect of annealing on the electrical performance of N-polarity GaN Schottky barrier diodes

A nitrogen-polarity (N-polarity) GaN-based high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) shows great potential for high-frequency solid-state power amplifier applications because its two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) density and mobility are minimally affected by device scaling. However, the Schottky barrier height (SBH) of N-polarity GaN is low. This leads to a large gate leakage in N-polarity GaN-based HEMTs. In this work, we investigate the effect of annealing on the electrical characteristics of N-polarity GaN-based Schottky barrier diodes (SBDs) with Ni/Au electrodes. Our results show that the annealing time and temperature have a large influence on the electrical properties of N-polarity GaN SBDs. Compared to the N-polarity SBD without annealing, the SBH and rectification ratio at ±5 V of the SBD are increased from 0.51 eV and 30 to 0.77 eV and 7700, respectively, and the ideal factor of the SBD is decreased from 1.66 to 1.54 after an optimized annealing process. Our analysis results suggest that the improvement of the electrical properties of SBDs after annealing is mainly due to the reduction of the interface state density between Schottky contact metals and N-polarity GaN and the increase of barrier height for the electron emission from the trap state at low reverse bias.

Alleviation of the on-state dynamic conductance decline in a GaN high electron mobility transistor with heavy carbon doping

Carbon doping is a standard blocking-voltage-enhancing technique for commercial silicon substrate-based AlGaN/GaN power switching transistors, although the incorporation of carbon into GaN may deteriorate the dynamic on-state resistance (dy-R on) properties of the device. Commonly, researchers have believed that the greater the carbon doping, the greater the deterioration in dy-R on. Surprisingly, in this work, the opposite was observed: the dy-R on value decreased as the carbon concentration increased, particularly when the density exceeded several 1017 cm−3. This phenomenon is explained by the effect of electric field-induced band-to-band electron tunneling into the two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) conduction channel, originating from the ionization of acceptor-like nitrogen site carbon atoms (CN) in the device off-state with large drain bias. Simulation data indicated that negatively ionized CN may generate a much larger electric field in samples with higher carbon doping, which may induce a narrower 2DEG back energy band barrier that increases the possibility of electron band-to-band tunneling.

Al‐Rich AlGaN Transistors with Regrown p‐AlGaN Gate Layers and Ohmic Contacts

AbstractEpitaxial regrowth processes are presented for achieving Al‐rich aluminum gallium nitride (AlGaN) high electron mobility transistor (HEMTs) with p‐type gates with large, positive threshold voltage for enhancement mode operation and low resistance Ohmic contacts. Utilizing a deep gate recess etch into the channel and an epitaxial regrown p‐AlGaN gate structure, an Al0.85Ga0.15N barrier/Al0.50Ga0.50N channel HEMT with a large positive threshold voltage (VTH = +3.5 V) and negligible gate leakage is demonstrated. Epitaxial regrowth of AlGaN avoids the use of gate insulators which can suffer from charge trapping effects observed in typical dielectric layers deposited on AlGaN. Low resistance Ohmic contacts (minimum specific contact resistance = 4 × 10−6 Ω cm2, average = 1.8 × 10−4 Ω cm2) are demonstrated in an Al0.85Ga0.15N barrier/Al0.68Ga0.32N channel HEMT by employing epitaxial regrowth of a heavily doped, n‐type, reverse compositionally graded epitaxial structure. The combination of low‐leakage, large positive threshold p‐gates and low resistance Ohmic contacts by the described regrowth processes provide a pathway to realizing high‐current, enhancement‐mode, Al‐rich AlGaN‐based ultra‐wide bandgap transistors.

Investigation of RF performance of Ku-band GaN HEMT device and an in-depth analysis of short channel effects

In this paper, we have characterized an AlGaN/GaN High Electron Mobility Transistor (HEMT) with a short gate length (Lg ≈ 0.15 μm). We have studied the effect of short gate length on the small signal parameters, linearity parameters and gm-gd ratio in GaN HEMT devices. To understand how scaling results in the variation of the above-mentioned parameters a comparative study with higher gate length devices on similar heterostructure is also presented here. We have scaled down the gate length but the barrier thickness(tbar) remained same which affects the aspect ratio (Lg/tbar) of the device and its inseparable consequences are the prominent short channel effects (SCEs) barring the optimum output performance of the device. These interesting phenomena were studied in detail and explored over a temperature range of −40 °C to 80 °C. To the best of our knowledge this paper explores temperature dependence of SCEs of GaN HEMT for the first time. With an approach to reduce the impact of SCEs a simulation study in Silvaco TCAD was carried out and it is observed that a recessed gate structure on conventional heterostructure successfully reduces SCEs and improves RF performance of the device. This work gives an overall view of gate length scaling on conventional AlGaN/GaN HEMTs.

Effect of Fe Doping Profile on Current Collapse in GaN-based RF HEMTs.

Using computer-aided design (TCAD) simulation, the impact of the Fe doping profile, including concentration, decay rate, and depth of the doping region on current-collapse magnitude (▵CC) in 0.5-μm gated GaN-based high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) is systematically investigated. Accurate simulation models are established and developed to facilitate the fabrication of electronics. It is elucidated that the intricate interplay between trapping and de-trapping of Fe-related traps at the gate-drain edge is responsible for current collapse. The concentration and decay rate of the doping region have a more significant impact on current collapse than the depth. Increased trap state density near two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) channel caused by deep-level acceptors would boost ▵CC. However, a minor dynamic reduction in 2DEG density (nT) induces a relatively small ▵CC. By adjusting the concentration, decay rate, and depth of the doping region, ▵CC of GaN-based Radio Frequency (RF) HEMTs can be reduced by approximately 50.3 %. The optimized distribution of Fe doping discussed in this work helps to prepare GaN-based RF HEMTs with a limited current collapse effect.

The improvement of device linearity in AlGaN/GaN HEMTs at millimeter-wave frequencies using dual-gate configuration

The linearity performance of the AlGaN/GaN high-electron-mobility-transistors (HEMTs) is critical for circuit applications especially at millimeter-wave frequencies. In this paper, we propose a new dual-gate (DG) configuration for linearity improvement at millimeter-wave frequencies. Using 2D simulation, we observed the improvement in device linearity by placing the additional DC gate in the source-gate access region. Adjusting the bias voltage of the DC gate modulates the horizontal electric field in the channel and controls the acceleration behavior of the channel electrons. Furthermore, such bias adjustment enhances the electron density in the channel to compensate for the transconductance (Gm) degradation. Both of these contribute to the flattening of the Gm profile for linearity improvement. The proposed DG configuration improves the C/I ratio by 10 dB compared to the conventional single gate (SG) device at 38 GHz. Additionally, a 60 % improvement in the cutoff frequency (fT) and maximum oscillation frequency (fmax) is obtained compared to the traditional DG configuration where the second gate is placed in the gate-drain drift region. This is mainly due to the reduction in gate capacitances from the redistribution of the electrons in the device. Such superior characteristics have shown great potential of the proposed device for high linearity applications at millimeter-wave frequencies.

Performance improvement of enhancement-mode GaN-based HEMT power devices by employing a vertical gate structure and composite interlayers*

In this work, p-n junction vertical gate (JVG) and polarization junction vertical gate (PVG) structures are for the first time proposed to improve the performance of GaN-based enhancement-mode (E-mode) high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) devices. Compared with the control group featuring the vertical gate structure, a highly improved threshold voltage (V th) and breakdown voltage (BV) are achieved with the assistance of the extended depletion regions formed by inserting single or composite interlayers. The structure dimensions and physical parameters for device interlayers are optimized by TCAD simulation to adjust the spatial electric field distribution and hence improve the device off-state characteristics. The optimal JVG-HEMT device can reach a V th of 3.4 V, a low on-state resistance (R on) of 0.64 mΩ cm2, and a BV of 1245 V, while the PVG-HEMT device exhibits a V th of 3.7 V, an R on of 0.65 mΩ cm2, and a BV of 1184 V, which could be further boosted when an additional field plate design is employed. Thus, the figure-of-merit value of JVG- and PVG-HEMT devices rise to 2.4 and 2.2 GW cm−2, respectively, much higher than that for the VG-HEMT control group (1.0 GW cm−2). This work provides a novel technical approach to realize higher-performance E-mode HEMTs.

Improved breakdown performance in recessed-gate normally off GaN MIS-HEMTs by regrown fishbone trench

This work develops a regrown fishbone trench (RFT) structure in selective area growth (SAG) technique to fabricate recessed-gate normally off GaN metal–insulator–semiconductor high electron mobility transistors (MIS-HEMTs). The RFT structure effectively modulates the electric field at high drain and gate biases, thus allowing the device to feature improved off-state and gate breakdown performance with a high positive Vth of 2 V. The simulated carrier concentration and electric field distributions reveal the mechanism of electric field weakening by RFT architecture. Meanwhile, the current collapse phenomenon is significantly suppressed, and the gate voltage swing is also enlarged. The maximum gate drive voltage of 9.2 V for 10-year reliability of RFT GaN MIS-HEMT, together with the improved linearity and block voltage, broadens the applications of SAG devices. Furthermore, the RFT structure also provides an etching-free method for fabricating normally off GaN MIS-HEMTs with multi-dimensional gates.

Systematic analysis of the principles and application scenarios of Low-Noise Amplifier

As society advances, new ideas and products are increasingly integrated into our daily lives. 5th generation mobile networks tech enables faster, lag-free connectivity, raising performance standards for components like Low-Noise Amplifiers. Summarizing Low-Noise Amplifier tech and applications helps researchers and firms leverage past knowledge and explore innovations. This paper analyzes Low-Noise Amplifier development and application, discussing types, principles, key performance indicators, and circuit structures of basic amplifiers. Five vital Low-Noise Amplifier characteristicsnoise figure, impedance matching, linearity, stability, and gainare examined. The author introduces design and application cases in radio astronomy, navigation systems, and 5th generation mobile networks communications based on Low-Noise Amplifier characteristics and performance requirements. The author concludes that advancing radio frequency tech requires improved Low-Noise Amplifiers, especially for high-frequency signals in 5th generation mobile networks. Promising noise performance enhancements come from technologies like modified high electron mobility transistors on GaAs and InP substrates. Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuit integration reduces size while maintaining cost-effective performance. Future advancements in these areas could further boost Low-Noise Amplifier performance.

SiC-based high electron mobility transistor

This paper describes the fabrication of a SiC-based high electron mobility transistor (HEMT). A single-crystal 3C–SiC layer was grown on a C-face 4H–SiC substrate, and 2D electron gas was induced at the 3C–SiC/4H–SiC heterointerface due to the unique polarization physics. The measured Hall mobility of the 2DEG was 586 cm2/V s at room temperature. Source, gate, and drain electrodes were fabricated on the 3C–SiC surface. The drain current for the fabricated SiC-HEMT was measured to be 47.5 mA/mm, and the transconductance was estimated to be 13.5 mS/mm.

Normally-off GaON/p-GaN gate HEMTs with selective plasma oxidation: from structural characterization, performance improvement to physical mechanism

In this letter, a p-GaN gate high-electron-mobility transistor (HEMT) with a high threshold voltage and better gate reliability was demonstrated by using selective plasma oxidation (SPO) and an additional low-temperature annealing step before gate metal is evaporated. After the SPO, a gallium oxynitride (GaON) dielectric layer was formed on the surface of p-GaN under the gate metal, and was studied by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), secondary ion mass spectrometry, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and energy dispersion spectroscopy. In addition, the fabricated metal/GaON/p-GaN gate HEMT exhibited a large threshold voltage (V TH) improvement from 1.46 V to 2.47 V. Furthermore, the forward gate breakdown voltage (V GS,BD) increased from 7.55 V to 11.10 V, and the maximum forward gate operating voltage (V GS-max) significantly improved from 5.0 V to 7.80 V for a ten-year lifetime with a 63.2% failure rate. Kelvin probe force microscopy reveals that the surface potential increased after SPO, and the shift of valence band maximum obtained by XPS spectra was 0.7 eV lower than that of the p-GaN, which further improves the Schottky barrier height at the gate metal/GaON interfaces to holes, thereby improving V TH and reducing I GS of the device. As a barrier layer, GaON suppressed the injection of carrier into the depletion region under a high electric field and enhanced the reliability of the gate.

Revolutionizing Fe doped back barrier AlGaN/GaN HEMTs: Unveiling the remarkable 1700V breakdown voltage milestone

This research investigates the enhanced device breakdown capabilities of silicon-based AlGaN/GaN High Electron Mobility Transistors (HEMT). By incorporating various back barrier materials, a significant improvement in peak electric field and breakdown voltage is observed. Specifically, the integration of iron (Fe) doping into the Gallium Nitride (GaN) back barrier layer, combined with different back barrier materials such as Aluminum Gallium Nitride (AlGaN) and Indium Gallium Nitride (InGaN), results in an impressive increase of up to 1700 V. This improvement is attributed to the reduction of peak electric field at the gate edge. The optimized layer configurations significantly contribute to the overall performance of silicon substrate GaN HEMT devices, making them promising candidates for high-voltage applications in electric vehicles and high-power applications.

Improvement of AlGaN/ GaN based HEMT with high performance rate for integrated circuit design for wide range of applications

In the current research work, we focused on the design and analysis of a semiconductor device called High-Elec-tron-Mobility Transistor (HEMT) based on the AlGaN/GaN material system. An Aluminum Nitride spacer,Layer of Nucle-ation along with cap as a AlGaN and barrier of GaN with the channel of AlGaN are incorporated to enhance HEMT device performance.The electrical characteristics of the proposed HEMT are an-alyzed. The Drain Current is found to be 0.18A/mm, indicating the device's ability to handle high current levels. The Electron Concentration is observed to have a maximum value of -96.12electrons/cm3 and varying based on the position in the channel for GaN Barrier thickness is 0.15mm. In the analysis of AC such as Gain of the Maximum Unilateral Power is deter-mined to be 83.41dB, indicating the ability of the device to am-plify signals. The Y-parameters, which characterize the de-vice's behavior at various frequencies of operation, are also de-termined. The capacitance between the electrode region Gate-Source (CGSMIN) is found to be 1.70×10^-11 F/mm, and alike The Capacitance between the electrode region the Gate-Drain Ca-pacitance (CGDMIN) is determined to be 4.7×10^-12 F/mm. Fur-thermore, an Electric Field of 96.51×10^3 V/mm is observed, in-dicating the strength of the electric field across the device. For HEMT device the simulation,The TCAD Silvaco software is be-ing practiced.

Construction of AlGaN/GaN high-electron-mobility transistor-based biosensor for ultrasensitive detection of SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins and virions

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for rapid and sensitive detection of SARS-CoV-2. Here, we report an ultrasensitive SARS-CoV-2 immunosensor by integration of an AlGaN/GaN high-electron-mobility transistor (HEMT) and anti-SARS-CoV-2 spike protein antibody. The AlGaN/GaN HEMT immunosensor has demonstrated the capability to detect SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins at an impressively low concentration of 10−22 M. The sensor was also applied to pseudoviruses and SARS-CoV-2 ΔN virions that display the Spike proteins with a single virion particle sensitivity. These features validate the potential of AlGaN/GaN HEMT biosensors for point of care tests targeting SARS-CoV-2. This research not only provides the first HEMT biosensing platform for ultrasensitive and label-free detection of SARS-CoV-2.