具有低噪声及高线性度的高性能MOCVD-SiN_(x)/AlN/GaN毫米波MIS-HEMTs

文章在超薄势垒AlN/GaN异质结构上采用金属有机化学气相沉积(MOCVD)原位生长SiN_(x)栅介质,成功制备了高性能的SiN_(x)/AlN/GaN金属-绝缘体-半导体高电子迁移率晶体管(MIS-HEMTs)。深能级瞬态谱(DLTS)技术测试SiN_(x)/AlN的界面信息,显示其缺陷能级深度为0.236 eV,俘获截面为3.06×10^(-19)cm^(-2),提取的界面态密度为10^(10)~10^(12)cm^(-2)eV^(-1),表明MOCVD原位生长的SiN_(x)可以有效降低界面态。同时器件表现出优越的直流、小信号和噪声性能。栅长为0.15μm的器件在2 V的栅极电压(Vgs)下具有2.2 A/mm的最大饱和输出电流,峰值跨导为506 mS/mm,最大电流截止频率(fT)和最大功率截止频率(fMAX)分别达到了65 GHz和123 GHz,40 GHz下的最小噪声系数(NFmin)为1.07 dB,增益为9.93 dB。Vds=6 V时对器件进行双音测试,器件的三阶交调输出功率(OIP3)为32.6 dBm,OIP3/Pdc达到11.2 dB。得益于高质量的SiN_(x)/AlN界面,SiN_(x)/AlN/GaN MISHEMT显示出了卓越的低噪声及高线性度,在毫米波领域具有一定的应用潜力。

高阈值电压低界面态增强型Al_2O_3/GaN MIS-HEMT

采用高温热氧化栅极凹槽刻蚀工艺并结合高温氮气氛围退火技术,制备出了高阈值电压的硅基GaN增强型Al_2O_3/GaN金属-绝缘体-半导体高电子迁移率晶体管(MIS-HEMT)。采用高温热氧化栅极凹槽刻蚀工艺刻蚀AlGaN层,并在AlGaN/GaN界面处自动终止刻蚀,可有效控制刻蚀的精度并降低栅槽表面的粗糙度。同时,利用高温氮气退火技术能够修复Al_2O_3/GaN界面的界面陷阱,并降低Al_2O_3栅介质体缺陷,因此能够减少Al_2O_3/GaN界面的界面态密度并提升栅极击穿电压。采用这两项技术制备的硅基GaN增强型Al_2O_3/GaN MIS-HEMT具有较低的栅槽表面平均粗糙度(0.24 nm)、较高的阈值电压(4.9 V)和栅极击穿电压(14.5 V)以及较低的界面态密度(8.49×10^(11) cm^(-2))。

高性能X波段增强型凹栅Al2O3/AlGaN/GaN MIS-HEMT

在蓝宝石衬底上制备了栅长Lg为0.25μm的增强型Al_2O_3/AlGaN/GaN MIS-HEMTs,采用刻蚀凹栅与ALD(原子层淀积)Al_2O_3介质层的方法研制器件.研制的增强型MIS-HEMT器件的阈值电压为+2.2V,饱和电流为512.3mA/mm.通过变频变温C-V方法测试提取的Al_2O_3介质层与AlGaN势垒层之间的界面态密度相应于能级范围(EC-0.35)eV^(EC-0.65)eV从8.50×1012 cm-2eV-1减小到9.73×1011 cm-2eV-1.另外,研制器件展示了突出的射频性能,其截止频率(fT))为30.5GHz,最高振荡频率(fmax)为71.5GHz.连续波测试模式时,该器件在8GHz频率下,饱和输出功率密度为1.7 W/mm,相应附加功率效率为32.6%.展现出凹栅增强型MISHEMT在X波段射频电路中的应用潜力.

应用于宽带的AlGaN/GaN MIS-HEMT高效率器件

本文采用等离子体增强原子层沉积(PEALD)生长的SiN_(x)栅介质制备了宽带应用的AlGaN/GaN金属绝缘体半导体高电子迁移率晶体管(MIS-HEMTs),并在直流、小信号及大信号测试中评估了该介质层对器件性能的提升。测试结果表明改进器件具有高质量界面、宽栅极控制范围、良好的电流崩塌控制等优势,并确认了其在超过5 GHz下工作时仍能保持较高的功率附加效率(PAE)。在5 GHz连续波模式下,漏极电压V_(DS)=10 V时,MIS HEMT输出功率密度为1.4 W/mm,PAE可达到74.7%;V_(DS)增加到30 V时,功率密度提升到5.9 W/mm,PAE可保持在63.2%的水平;测试频率增加30 GHz,在相同的输出功率水平下,器件的PAE达到50.4%。同时,高质量栅极介电层还可允许器件承受高的栅极电压摆动:在功率增益压缩6 dB时,栅极电流保持在10^(-4)A/mm。上述结果证实了该SiN_(x)栅介质对器件性能的提升,使其满足宽带应用的高效率、高功率和可靠性要求,为系统和电路的宽带设计提供器件级的保障。

低压应用的毫米波AlN/GaN MIS-HEMT器件研制

提出了一种适用于低电压工作的毫米波AlN/GaN MIS-HEMT器件,开展了材料外延结构的设计,在SiC衬底上生长了AlN/GaN外延材料。基于此材料开展了器件制作,优化了高温快速退火工艺,获得良好的欧姆接触电阻。对所制备的器件进行直流测试,结果显示,电流输出能力为2.4 A/mm,跨导极值为518 mS/mm,小信号f_(t)达到85 GHz,f_(max)大于141 GHz。在5G毫米波段28 GHz频率点测试了大信号特性,当V_(DS)=3 V时,输出功率密度为0.55 W/mm,功率附加效率(PAE)为40.1%;当V_(DS)=6 V时,输出功率密度为1.6 W/mm,PAE达到47.8%。该器件具有低压毫米波应用的潜力。

Evaluation of stress voltage on off-state time-dependent breakdown for GaN MIS-HEMT with SiNx gate dielectric

Stress voltages on time-dependent breakdown characteristics of GaN MIS-HEMTs during negative gate bias stress (with VGS < 0, VD = VS = 0) and off-state stress (VG < VTh, VDS > 0, VS = 0) are investigated. For negative bias stress, the breakdown time distribution (β) decreases with the increasing negative gate voltage, while β is larger for higher drain voltage at off-state stress. Two humps in the time-dependent gate leakage occurred under both breakdown conditions, which can be ascribed to the dielectric breakdown triggered earlier and followed by the GaN layer breakdown. Combining the electric distribution from simulation and long-term monitoring of electric parameter, the peak electric fields under the gate edges at source and drain sides are confirmed as the main formation locations for per-location paths during negative gate voltage stress and off-state stress, respectively.

Instability of parasitic capacitance in T-shape-gate enhancementmode AlGaN/GaN MIS-HEMTs

Parasitic capacitances associated with overhangs of the T-shape-gate enhancement-mode(E-mode)GaN-based power device,were investigated by frequency/voltage-dependent capacitance-voltage and inductive-load switching measurements.The overhang capacitances induce a pinch-off voltage distinguished from that of the E-mode channel capacitance in the gate capacitance and the gatedrain capacitance characteristic curves.Frequency-and voltage-dependent tests confirm the instability caused by the trapping of interface/bulk states in the LPCVD-SiNx passivation dielectric.Circuit-level double pulse measurement also reveals its impact on switching transition for power switching applications.

Ferroelectric effect and equivalent polarization charge model of PbZr_(0.2)Ti_(0.8)O_(3)on AlGaN/GaN MIS-HEMT

PbZr_(0.2)Ti_(0.8)O_(3)(PZT)gate insulator with the thickness of 30 nm is grown by pulsed laser deposition(PLD)in AlGaN/GaN metal-insulator-semiconductor high electron mobility transistors(MIS-HEMTs).The ferroelectric effect of PZT AlGaN/GaN MIS-HEMT is demonstrated.The polarization charge in PZT varies with different gate voltages.The equivalent polarization charge model(EPCM)is proposed for calculating the polarization charge and the concentration of two-dimensional electron gas(2DEG).The threshold voltage(V_(th))and output current density(I_(DS))can also be obtained by the EPCM.The theoretical values are in good agreement with the experimental results and the model can provide a guide for the design of the PZT MIS-HEMT.The polarization charges of PZT can be modulated by different gate-voltage stresses and the V_(th)has a regulation range of 4.0 V.The polarization charge changes after the stress of gate voltage for several seconds.When the gate voltage is stable or changes at high frequency,the output characteristics and the current collapse of the device remain stable.

Effect of overdrive voltage on PBTI trapping behavior in GaN MIS-HEMT with LPCVD SiNx gate dielectric

The effect of high overdrive voltage on the positive bias temperature instability(PBTI)trapping behavior is investigated for GaN metal–insulator–semiconductor high electron mobility transistor(MIS-HEMT)with LPCVD-SiNx gate dielectric.A higher overdrive voltage is more effective to accelerate the electrons trapping process,resulting in a unique trapping behavior,i.e.,a larger threshold voltage shift with a weaker time dependence and a weaker temperature dependence.Combining the degradation of electrical parameters with the frequency–conductance measurements,the unique trapping behavior is ascribed to the defect energy profile inside the gate dielectric changing with stress time,new interface/border traps with a broad distribution above the channel Fermi level are introduced by high overdrive voltage.

Negative bias-induced threshold voltage instability and zener/interface trapping mechanism in GaN-based MIS-HEMTs

We investigate the instability of threshold voltage in D-mode MIS-HEMT with in-situ SiN as gate dielectric under different negative gate stresses.The complex non-monotonic evolution of threshold voltage under the negative stress and during the recovery process is induced by the combination effect of two mechanisms.The effect of trapping behavior of interface state at SiN/AlGaN interface and the effect of zener traps in AlGaN barrier layer on the threshold voltage instability are opposite to each other.The threshold voltage shifts negatively under the negative stress due to the detrapping of the electrons at SiN/AlGaN interface,and shifts positively due to zener trapping in AlGaN barrier layer.As the stress is removed,the threshold voltage shifts positively for the retrapping of interface states and negatively for the thermal detrapping in AlGaN.However,it is the trapping behavior in the AlGaN rather than the interface state that results in the change of transconductance in the D-mode MIS-HEMT.

AlGaN/GaN MIS-HEMT using NbAlO dielectric layer grown by atomic layer deposition

We present an AlGaN/GaN metal-insulator-semiconductor high electron mobility transistor （MIS-HEMT） with an NbAIO high-k dielectric deposited by atomic layer deposition （ALD）. Surface morphology of samples are observed by atomic force microscopy （AFM）, indicating that the ALD NbA10 has an excellent-property surface. Moreover, the sharp transition from depletion to accumulation in capacitance voltage （C-V）curse of MIS-HEMT demonstrates the high quality bulk and interface properties of NbA10 on A1GaN. The fabricated MIS-HEMT with a gate length of 0.5 μm exhibits a maximum drain current of 960 mA/mm, and the reverse gate leakage current is almost 3 orders of magnitude lower than that of reference HEMT. Based on the improved direct-current operation, the NbA10 can be considered to be a potential gate oxide comparable to other dielectric insulators.

Comparative study on characteristics of Si-based AlGaN/GaN recessed MIS-HEMTs with HfO2 and Al2O3 gate insulators

Two types of enhancement-mode(E-mode)AlGaN/GaN metal-insulator-semiconductor high-electron-mobility transistors(MIS-HEMTs)with different gate insulators are fabricated on Si substrates.The HfO2 gate insulator and the Al2O3 gate insulator each with a thickness of 30 nm are grown by the plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition(PEALD).The energy band diagrams of two types of dielectric MIS-HEMTs are compared.The breakdown voltage(VBR)of HfO2 dielectric layer and Al2O3 dielectric layer are 9.4 V and 15.9 V,respectively.With the same barrier thickness,the transconductance of MIS-HEMT with HfO2 is larger.The threshold voltage(Vth)of the HfO2 and Al2O3 MIS-HEMT are 2.0 V and 2.4 V,respectively,when the barrier layer thickness is 0 nm.The C-V characteristics are in good agreement with the Vth's transfer characteristics.As the barrier layer becomes thinner,the drain current density decreases sharply.Due to the dielectric/AlGaN interface is very close to the channel,the scattering of interface states will lead the electron mobility to decrease.The current collapse and the Ron of Al2O3 MIS-HEMT are smaller at the maximum gate voltage.As Al2O3 has excellent thermal stability and chemical stability,the interface state density of Al2O3/AlGaN is less than that of HfO2/AlGaN.

Experimental evaluation of interface states during time-dependent dielectric breakdown of GaN-based MIS-HEMTs with LPCVD-SiNχgate dielectric

We experimentally evaluated the interface state density of GaN MIS-HEMTs during time-dependent dielectric breakdown(TDDB).Under a high forward gate bias stress,newly increased traps generate both at the SiNx/AlGaN interface and the SiNx bulk,resulting in the voltage shift and the increase of the voltage hysteresis.When prolonging the stress duration,the defects density generated in the SiNx dielectric becomes dominating,which drastically increases the gate leakage current and causes the catastrophic failure.After recovery by UV light illumination,the negative shift in threshold voltage(compared with the fresh one)confirms the accumulation of positive charge at the SiNx/AlGaN interface and/or in SiNx bulk,which is possibly ascribed to the broken bonds after long-term stress.These results experimentally confirm the role of defects in the TDDB of GaN-based MIS-HEMTs.

Thin-barrier enhancement-mode AlGaN/GaN MIS-HEMT using ALD Al_2O_3 as gate insulator

A high-performance enhancement-mode （E-mode） gallium nitride （GaN）-based metal-insulator- semiconductor high electron mobility transistor （MIS-HEMT） that employs a 5-nm-thick aluminum gallium nitride （Al0.3Ga0.7N） as a barrier layer and relies on silicon nitride （SIN） passivation to control the 2DEG density is presented. Unlike the SiN passivation, aluminum oxide （AL2O3） by atomic layer deposition （ALD） on A1GaN surface would not increase the 2DEG density in the heterointerface. ALD AL2O3 was used as gate insulator after the depletion by etching of the SiN in the gate region. The E-mode MIS-HEMT with gate length （LG） of 1 μm showed a maximum drain current density （IDs） of 657 mA/mm, a maximum extrinsic transconductance （gin） of 187 mS/ram and a threshold voltage （Vth） of 1 V. Comparing with the corresponding E-mode HEMT, the device performances had been greatly improved due to the insertion of AL2O3 gate insulator. This provided an excellent way to realize E-mode A1GaN/GaN MIS-HEMTs with both high Vth and IDS.

The effects of proton irradiation on the electrical properties of NbAlO/AlGaN/GaN MIS-HEMT

AlGaN/GaN metal-insulator-semiconductor high electron-mobility transistors （MIS-HEMTs） with atomic layer deposited （ALD） NbA10 gate dielectric were investigated using 3 MeV proton irradiation at a fluence of 1015 p/crn2. It was found that the proton irradiation damage caused degradation in DC performance and a flatband voltage shift in the capacitance-voltage curve. Gate-drain conductance measurements indicated that new traps were introduced in GaN from the irradiation, and the trap densities increased from 1.18×10^12 cm-2.eV-1 to 1.82×10^12 cm-2.eV-1 in MIS-HEMTs after irradiation. However, these increases in trap densities caused by irradiation in MIS-HEMT are less than those in HEMT, which can be attributed to the protection of the A1GaN surface by the NbA10 dielectric layer.

IMEC成功在200 mm硅晶圆衬底上制出高质量GaN基MIS-HEMT器件

欧洲研究机构IMEC与其合作伙伴最近成功在200 mm规格硅衬底上制造出了高质量的GaN/AlGaN异质结构层,双方目前正合作研究基于氮化镓材料的HEMT(High electron mobility transistor:高电子迁移率晶体管)异质结构晶体管技术。这次成功在200 mm硅衬底上制出高质量GaN HEMT,标志着在将功率器件引入200 mm规格芯片厂进行高效率生产方面取得了里程碑式的成就。(过去此类器件一般是在红宝石衬底上制成的。)

GaN HEMT器件表面钝化研究进展

作为第三代半导体材料之一,GaN凭借其优异的材料特性,如较高的击穿场强、较高的电子迁移率以及较好的热导率等,在制备高频、高功率及高击穿电压的AlGaN/GaN HEMT器件方面得到广泛应用。然而,目前电流崩塌、栅泄漏电流、频率色散等一系列可靠性问题制约着AlGaN/GaN HEMT器件的大规模应用。表面钝化被认为是改善这些问题最有效的方法之一。对电流崩塌、界面态等的测试表征方法等进行了总结,综述了目前GaN表面钝化的研究进展。

GaN HEMT电力电子器件技术研究进展

GaN高电子迁移率晶体管(HEMT)器件由于其击穿场强高、导通电阻低等优越的性能,在高达650 V额定电压等级的高效、高频转换器中有着广泛的应用前景。GaN HEMT器件的特性优势与其工艺结构、材料特性密切相关。介绍了耗尽型、增强型GaN HEMT的典型器件结构,并将国内外对结构设计以及材料优化等关键技术问题的研究现状进行了综述,并概括总结了GaN HEMT的技术发展趋势和最新参数指标。

HEMT器件质子辐射效应仿真

GaN基高电子迁移率晶体管(HEMT)器件具有抗高频、耐高温、大功率、抗辐射等特性,在核反应堆、宇宙探测等辐射环境中具有广阔的应用前景。借助SRIM软件仿真1.8 MeV质子辐射对不同AlGaN势垒层纵向尺寸下的常规耗尽型器件内部产生空位密度的影响,并观察空位密度随深度的变化规律。在最优AlGaN势垒层厚度条件下,通过仿真对比5种不同栅氧层材料的MIS-HEMT器件,发现氮化铝(AlN)栅氧层材料具有相对较好的抗辐射效果。

Influence of growth conditions of oxide on electrical properties of AlGaN/GaN metal–insulator–semiconductor transistors

AlGaN/GaN metal–insulator–semiconductor high-electron-mobility transistors(MIS-HEMTs) on a silicon substrate were fabricated with silicon oxide as a gate dielectric by sputtering deposition and electron-beam(EB) evaporation. It was found that the oxide deposition method and conditions have great influences on the electrical properties of HEMTs. The low sputtering temperature or oxygen introduction at higher temperature results in a positive equivalent charge density at the oxide/AlGaN interface(Nequ), which induces a negative shift of threshold voltage and an increase in both sheet electron density(ns) and drain current density(ID). Contrarily, EB deposition makes a negative Nequ, resulting in reduced ns and ID. Besides, the maximum transconductance(gm-max) decreases and the off-state gate current density(I_(G-off)) increases for oxides at lower sputtering temperature compared with that at higher temperature, possibly due to a more serious sputter-induced damage and much larger Nequ at lower sputtering temperature. At high sputtering temperature, I_(G-off) decreases by two orders of magnitude compared to that without oxygen, which indicates that oxygen introduction and partial pressure depression of argon decreases the sputter-induced damage significantly. I_(G-off) for EB-evaporated samples is lower by orders of magnitude than that of sputtered ones, possibly attributed to the lower damage of EB evaporation to the barrier layer surface.