Proton irradiation-induced dynamic characteristics on high performance GaN/AlGaN/GaN Schottky barrier diodes

Dynamic characteristics of the single-crystal Ga N-passivated lateral AlGaN/GaN Schottky barrier diodes(SBDs)treated with proton irradiation are investigated.Radiation-induced changes including idealized Schottky interface and slightly degraded on-resistance(RON)are observed under 10-Me V proton irradiation at a fluence of 10^(14)cm^(-2).Because of the existing negative polarization charges induced at GaN/AlGaN interface,the dynamic ON-resistance(RON,dyn)shows negligible degradation after a 1000-s-long forward current stress of 50 mA to devices with and without being irradiated by protons.Furthermore,the normalized RON,dynincreases by only 14%that of the initial case after a 100-s-long bias of-600 V has been applied to the irradiated devices.The high-performance lateral AlGaN/GaN SBDs with tungsten as anode metal and in-situ single-crystal GaN as passivation layer show a great potential application in the harsh radiation environment of space.

Effects of the flow rate of hydrogen on the growth of graphene

Graphene samples with different morphologies were fabricated on the inside of copper enclosures by low pressure chemical vapor deposition and tuning the flow rate of hydrogen. It is found that the flow rate of hydrogen greatly influences the growth of graphene. Ther-modynamic analysis indicates that a higher flow rate of hydrogen is favorable to the formation of good quality graphene with regular mor-phology. However, the mass-transfer process of methane dominates the growth driving force. At very low pressure, mass-transfer proceeds by Knudsen diffusion, and the mass-transfer flux of methane decreases as the flow rate of hydrogen increases, leading to a decrease in the growth driving force. At a higher pressure, mass-transfer proceeds by Fick＇s diffusion, and the mass-transfer flux of methane is dominated by the gas velocity, whose variation determines the growth driving force variation of graphene.

1.8-kV circular AlGaN/GaN/AlGaN double-heterostructure high electron mobility transistor

In this paper, we present a 1.8-kV circular AlGaN/GaN/AlGaN double-heterostructure high electron mobility transistor(DH HEMT) with a gate-drain spacing L_(GD)= 18.8 μm. Compared with the regular DH HEMT, our circular structure has a high average breakdown electric-field strength that increases from 0.42 MV/cm to 0.96 MV/cm. The power figure of meritV_(BR)~2/RON for the circular HEMT is as high as 1.03 ×10~9 V^2·Ω^(-1)·cm^(-2). The divergence of electric field lines at the gate edge and no edge effect account for the breakdown enhancement capability of the circular structure. Experiments and analysis indicate that the circular structure is an effective method to modulate the electric field.

Novel CMOS image sensor pixel to improve charge transfer speed and efficiency by overlapping gate and temporary storage diffusing node

A novel CMOS image sensor(CIS) pinned photodiode(PPD) pixel, named as O-T pixel, is proposed and investigated by TCAD simulations. Compared with the conventional PPD pixel, the proposed pixel features the overlapping gate(OG)and the temporary storage diffusing(TSD) region, based on which the several-nanosecond-level charge transfer could be achieved and the complete charge transfer from the PPD to the floating node(FD) could be realized. And systematic analyses of the influence of the doping conditions of the proposed processes, the OG length, and the photodiode length on the transfer performances of the proposed pixel are conducted. Optimized simulation results show that the total charge transfer time could reach about 5.862 ns from the photodiode to the sensed node and the corresponding charge transfer efficiency could reach as high as 99.995% in the proposed pixel with 10 μm long photodiode and 2.22 μm long OG. These results demonstrate a great potential of the proposed pixel in high-speed applications.

Low specific on-resistance GaN-based vertical heterostructure field effect transistors with nonuniform doping superjunctions

A novel Ga N-based vertical heterostructure field effect transistor（HFET） with nonuniform doping superjunctions（non-SJ HFET） is proposed and studied by Silvaco-ATLAS,for minimizing the specific on-resistance（RonA） at no expense of breakdown voltage（BV）.The feature of non-SJ HFET lies in the nonuniform doping concentration from top to bottom in the n-and p-pillars,which is different from that of the conventional Ga N-based vertical HFET with uniform doping superjunctions（un-SJ HFET）.A physically intrinsic mechanism for the nonuniform doping superjunction（non-SJ） to further reduce RonA at no expense of BV is investigated and revealed in detail.The design,related to the structure parameters of non-SJ,is optimized to minimize the RonA on the basis of the same BV as that of un-SJ HFET.Optimized simulation results show that the reduction in RonA depends on the doping concentrations and thickness values of the light and heavy doping parts in non-SJ.The maximum reduction of more than 51% in RonA could be achieved with a BV of 1890 V.These results could demonstrate the superiority of non-SJ HFET in minimizing RonA and provide a useful reference for further developing the Ga N-based vertical HFETs.

Investigation on threshold voltage of p-channel GaN MOSFETs based on p-GaN/AlGaN/GaN heterostructure

The threshold voltage(V_(th))of the p-channel metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors(MOSFETs)is investigated via Silvaco-Atlas simulations.The main factors which influence the threshold voltage of p-channel GaN MOSFETs are barrier heightΦ_(1,p),polarization charge density σ_(b),and equivalent unite capacitance C_(oc).It is found that the thinner thickness of p-GaN layer and oxide layer will acquire the more negative threshold voltage V_(th),and threshold voltage|V_(th)|increases with the reduction in p-GaN doping concentration and the work-function of gate metal.Meanwhile,the increase in gate dielectric relative permittivity may cause the increase in threshold voltage|V_(th)|.Additionally,the parameter influencing output current most is the p-GaN doping concentration,and the maximum current density is 9.5 mA/mm with p-type doping concentration of 9.5×10^(16) cm^(-3) at VGS=-12 V and VDS=-10 V.

Temperature-Dependent Characteristics of GaN Schottky Barrier Diodes with TiN and Ni Anodes

The effect of temperature on the characteristics of gallium nitride (GaN) Schottky barrier diodes (SBDs) with TiN and Ni anodes is evaluated. With increasing the temperature from 25 to 175℃, reduction of the turn-on voltage and increase of the leakage current are observed for both GaN SBDs with TiN and Ni anodes. The performance after thermal treatment shows much better stability for SBDs with Ti N anode, while those with Ni anode change due to more interface states. It is found that the leakage currents of the GaN SBDs with TiN anode are in accord with the thermionic emission model whereas those of the GaN SBDs with Ni anode are much higher than the model. The Silvaco TCAD simulation results show that phonon-assisted tunneling caused by interface states may lead to the instability of electrical properties after thermal treatment, which dominates the leakage currents for GaN SBDs with Ni anode. Compared with GaN SBDs with Ni anode, GaN SBDs with TiN anode are beneficial to the application in microwave power rectification fields due to lower turn-on voltage and better thermal stability.

Phonon Limited Electron Mobility in Germanium FinFETs:Fin Direction Dependence

We investigate the phonon limited electron mobility in germanium(Ge) fin field-effect transistors(FinFETs)with fin rotating within(001),(110),and(111)-oriented wafers. The coupled Schrodinger-Poisson equations are solved self-consistently to calculate the electronic structures for the two-dimensional electron gas, and Fermi's golden rule is used to calculate the phonon scattering rate. It is concluded that the intra-valley acoustic phonon scattering is the dominant mechanism limiting the electron mobility in Ge FinFETs. The phonon limited electron motilities are influenced by wafer orientation, channel direction, in thickness Wfin, and inversion charge density Ninv. With the fixed Wfin, fin directions of(110),(112) and(110) within(001),(110), and(111)-oriented wafers provide the maximum values of electron mobility. The optimized for mobility is also dependent on wafer orientation and channel direction. As Ninv, increases, phonon limited mobility degrades, which is attributed to electron repopulation from a higher mobility valley to a lower mobility valley as Ninv increases.

Breakdown voltage enhancement in GaN channel and AlGaN channel HEMTs using large gate metal height

A large gate metal height technique is proposed to enhance breakdown voltage in GaN channel and AlGaN channel high-electron-mobility-transistors(HEMTs).For GaN channel HEMTs with gate-drain spacing LGD=2.5μm,the breakdown voltage VBR increases from 518 V to 582 V by increasing gate metal height h from 0.2μm to 0.4μm.For GaN channel HEMTs with LGD=7μm,VBR increases from 953 V to 1310 V by increasing h from 0.8μm to 1.6μm.The breakdown voltage enhancement results from the increase of the gate sidewall capacitance and depletion region extension.For Al0.4Ga0.6N channel HEMT with LGD=7μm,VBR increases from 1535 V to 1763 V by increasing h from 0.8μm to 1.6μm,resulting in a high average breakdown electric field of 2.51 MV/cm.Simulation and analysis indicate that the high gate metal height is an effective method to enhance breakdown voltage in GaN-based HEMTs,and this method can be utilized in all the lateral semiconductor devices.

High-performance InAlGaN/GaN enhancement-mode MOS-HEMTs grown by pulsed metal organic chemical vapor deposition

Pulsed metal organic chemical vapor deposition was employed to grow nearly polarization matched InAlGaN/GaN heterostructures. A relatively low sheet carrier density of 1.8×10^(12)cm^(-2), together with a high electron mobility of1229.5 cm^2/V·s, was obtained for the prepared heterostructures. The surface morphology of the heterostructures was also significantly improved, i.e., with a root mean square roughness of 0.29 nm in a 2 μm×2 μm scan area. In addition to the improved properties, the enhancement-mode metal–oxide–semiconductor high electron mobility transistors(MOSHEMTs) processed on the heterostructures not only exhibited a high threshold voltage(VTH) of 3.1 V, but also demonstrated a significantly enhanced drain output current density of 669 m A/mm. These values probably represent the largest values obtained from the InAlGaN based enhancement-mode devices to the best of our knowledge. This study strongly indicates that the InAlGaN/GaN heterostructures grown by pulsed metal organic chemical vapor deposition could be promising for the applications of novel nitride-based electronic devices.

Multiple enlarged growth of single crystal diamond by MPCVD with PCD-rimless top surface

We report the simultaneous enlarged growth of seven single crystal diamond(SCD) plates free from polycrystalline diamond(PCD) rim by using a microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition(MPCVD) system. Optical microscope and atomic force microscope(AFM) show the typical step-bunching SCD morphology at the center, edge, and corner of the samples. The most aggressively expanding sample shows a top surface area three times of that of the substrate. The effective surface expanding is attributed to the utilization of the diamond substrates with(001) side surfaces, the spacial isolation of them to allow the sample surface expanding, and the adoption of the reported pocket holder. Nearly constant temperature of the diamond surfaces is maintained during growth by only decreasing the sample height, and thus all the other growth parameters can be kept unchanged to achieve high quality SCDs. The SCDs have little stress as shown by the Raman spectra. The full width at half maximum(FWHM) data of both the Raman characteristic peak and(004) x-ray rocking curve of the samples are at the same level as those of the standard CVD SCD from Element Six Ltd. The nonuniformity of the sample thickness or growth rate is observed, and photoluminescence spectra show that the nitrogen impurity increases with increasing growth rate. It is found that the reduction of the methane ratio in the sources gas flow from 5% to 3% leads to decrease of the vertical growth rate and increase of the lateral growth rate. This is beneficial to expand the top surface and improve the thickness uniformity of the samples. At last, the convenience of the growth method transferring to massive production has also been demonstrated by the successful simultaneous enlarged growth of 14 SCD samples.

Design and simulation of AlN-based vertical Schottky barrier diodes

The key parameters of vertical AlN Schottky barrier diodes(SBDs) with variable drift layer thickness(DLT) and drift layer concentration(DLC) are investigated. The specific on-resistance(R_(on,sp)) decreased to 0.5 mΩ · cm^(2) and the breakdown voltage(V_(BR)) decreased from 3.4 kV to 1.1 kV by changing the DLC from 10^(15) cm^(-3) to 3×10^(16) cm^(-3). The VBRincreases from 1.5 kV to 3.4 kV and the Ron,sp also increases to 12.64 mΩ · cm^(2) by increasing DLT from 4-μm to 11-μm. The VBRenhancement results from the increase of depletion region extension. The Baliga's figure of merit(BFOM) of3.8 GW/cm^(2) was obtained in the structure of 11-μm DLT and 10^(16) cm^(-3) DLC without FP. When DLT or DLC is variable,the consideration of the value of BFOM is essential. In this paper, we also present the vertical AlN SBD with a field plate(FP), which decreases the crowding of electric field in electrode edge. All the key parameters were optimized by simulating based on Silvaco-ATLAS.

Low power fluorine plasma effects on electrical reliability of AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistor

The new electrical degradation phenomenon of the AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistor（HEMT） treated by low power fluorine plasma is discovered. The saturated current, on-resistance, threshold voltage, gate leakage and breakdown voltage show that each experiences a significant change in a short time stress, and then keeps unchangeable. The migration phenomenon of fluorine ions is further validated by the electron redistribution and breakdown voltage enhancement after off-state stress. These results suggest that the low power fluorine implant ion stays in an unstable state. It causes the electrical properties of AlGaN/GaN HEMT to present early degradation. A new migration and degradation mechanism of the low power fluorine implant ion under the off-stress electrical stress is proposed. The low power fluorine ions would drift at the beginning of the off-state stress, and then accumulate between gate and drain nearby the gate side. Due to the strong electronegativity of fluorine, the accumulation of the front fluorine ions would prevent the subsequent fluorine ions from drifting, thereby alleviating further the degradation of AlGaN/GaN HEMT electrical properties.

Characteristics and threshold voltage model of GaN-based FinFET with recessed gate

In this work, AlGaN/GaN FinFETs with different fin widths have been successfully fabricated, and the recessed-gate FinFETs are fabricated for comparison. The recessed-gate FinFETs exhibit higher transconductance value and positive shift of threshold voltage. Moreover, with the fin width of the recessed-gate FinFETs increasing, the variations of both threshold voltage and the transconductance increase. Next, transfer characteristics of the recessed-gate FinFETs with different fin widths and recessed-gate depths are simulated by Silvaco software. The relationship between the threshold voltage and the AlGaN layer thickness has been investigated. The simulation results indicate that the slope of threshold voltage variation reduces with the fin width decreasing. Finally, a simplified threshold voltage model for recessed-gate FinFET is established,which agrees with both the experimental results and simulation results.

Ohmic Contact at Al/TiO_2/n-Ge Interface with TiO_2 Deposited at Extremely Low Temperature

TiO2deposited at extremely low temperature of 120°C by atomic layer deposition is inserted between metal and n-Ge to relieve the Fermi level pinning. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy indicate that the lower deposition temperature tends to effectively eliminate the formation of GeOxto reduce the tunneling resistance. Compared with TiO2deposited at higher temperature of 250°C,there are more oxygen vacancies in lower-temperature-deposited TiO2, which will dope TiO2contributing to the lower tunneling resistance. Al/TiO2/n-Ge metal-insulator-semiconductor diodes with 2 nm 120°C deposited TiO2achieves 2496 times of current density at-0.1 V compared with the device without the TiO2interface layer case, and is 8.85 times larger than that with 250°C deposited TiO2. Thus inserting extremely low temperature deposited TiO2to depin the Fermi level for n-Ge may be a better choice.

Vertical polarization-induced doping InN/InGaN heterojunction tunnel FET with hetero T-shaped gate

A novel vertical InN/InGaN heterojunction tunnel FET with hetero T-shaped gate as well as polarization-doped source and drain region(InN-Hetero-TG-TFET)is proposed and investigated by Silvaco-Atlas simulations for the first time.Compared with the conventional physical doping TFET devices,the proposed device can realize the P-type source and N-type drain region by means of the polarization effect near the top InN/InGaN and bottom InGaN/InN heterojunctions respectively,which could provide an effective solution of random dopant fluctuation(RDF)and the related problems about the high thermal budget and expensive annealing techniques due to ion-implantation physical doping.Besides,due to the hetero T-shaped gate,the improvement of the on-state performance can be achieved in the proposed device.The simulations of the device proposed here in this work show ION of 4.45×10^(-5)A/μm,ION/IOFF ratio of 10^(13),and SS_(avg)of 7.5 mV/dec in InN-Hetero-TG-TFET,which are better than the counterparts of the device with a homo T-shaped gate(InN-Homo-TG-TFET)and our reported lateral polarization-induced InN-based TFET(PI-InN-TFET).These results can provide useful reference for further developing the TFETs without physical doping process in low power electronics applications.

Semipolar(1122) and polar(0001) InGaN grown on sapphire substrate by using pulsed metal organic chemical vapor deposition

High indium semipolar（1122） and polar（0001） In Ga N layers each with a thickness of about 100 nm are realized simultaneously on sapphire substrates by pulsed metal organic chemical vapor deposition（MOCVD）. The morphology evolution, structural and optical characteristics are also studied. The indium content in the layer of the surface（1122）is larger than that of the surface（0001）, which is confirmed by reciprocal space map, photoluminescence spectrum and secondary ion mass spectrometer. Additionally, the（0001） surface with island-like morphology shows inhomogeneous indium incorporation, while the（1122） surface with a spiral-like morphology shows a better homogeneous In composition.This feature is also demonstrated by the monochromatic cathodoluminescence map.

Polar Dependence of Threading Dislocation Density in GaN Films Grown by Metal-Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition

We investigate the threading dislocation(TD)density in N-polar and Ga-polar GaN films grown on sapphire substrates by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition.X-ray diffraction results reveal that the proportion of screw type TDs in N-polar GaN is much larger and the proportion of edge type TDs is much smaller than that in Ga-polar.Transmission electron microscope results show that the interface between the AlN nucleation layer and the GaN layer in N-polar films is smoother than that in Ga-polar films,which suggests different growth modes of GaN.This observation explains the encountered difference in screw and edge TD density.A model is proposed to explain this phenomenon.

Stabilization mechanisms of lifted flames in a supersonic stepped-wall jet combustor

Flame stabilization is the key to extending scramjets to hypersonic speeds;accordingly,this topic has attracted much attention in theoretical research and engineering design.This study performed large eddy simulations(LESs)of lifted hydrogen jet combustion in a stepped-wall combustor,focusing on the flame stabilization mechanisms,especially for the autoignition effect.An assumed probability density function(PDF)approach was used to close the subgrid chemical reaction source.The reliability of the solver was confirmed by comparing the LES results with experimental data and published simulated results.The hydrogen jet and the incoming stream were first mixed by entraining large-scale vortices in the shear layer,and stable combustion in the near-wall region was achieved downstream of the flame induction region.The autoignition cascade is a transition of fuel-rich flame to stoichiometric ratio flame that plays a role in forming the flame base,which subsequently causes downstream flame stabilization.Three cases with different jet total temperatures are compared,and the results show that the increase in the total temperature reduces the lift-off distance of the flame.In the highest total temperature case,an excessively large scalar dissipation rate inhibits the autoignition cascade,resulting in a fuel-rich low-temperature flame.