AlGaN/GaN HEMT器件高温栅偏置应力后栅极泄漏电流机制分析

AlGaN/GaN高电子迁移率晶体管(HEMT)的栅特性会受到温度应力和电应力的影响.在高温栅偏置(HTGB)应力下,器件的栅特性会发生退化,如栅极泄漏电流增大.为了研究退化机理,分析了AlGaN/GaN HEMT在栅电压为-2 V时,250℃高温应力作用后的栅极泄漏电流机制.随着HTGB时间的增加,栅极泄漏电流持续增大,受到应力器件在室温下静置后栅极泄漏电流密度恢复约20%.结果表明,在正向偏置范围内,栅极泄漏电流是由热电子发射(TE)引起的.在反向偏置范围内,普尔-弗伦克尔(PF)发射在小电压范围内占主导地位.阈值电压附近的范围由势垒层中的陷阱辅助隧穿(TAT)引起;在大电压范围内,福勒-诺德海姆(FN)隧穿导致栅极发生泄漏.

AlGaN/GaN HEMT小信号放大电路设计及放大增益预测

采用计算机辅助设计技术(TCAD)对AlGaN/GaN高电子迁移率晶体管(HEMT)器件进行了仿真,并利用Multisim设计了AlGaN/GaN HEMT器件的低频小信号放大电路.由于GaN材料的宽带隙和高载流子迁移率,HEMT器件可以在空间科学应用中取代Si基MOSFET.TCAD的仿真结果通过与测试结果的比较进行了修正.通过Multisim仿真结果与搭建的AlGaN/GaN HEMT共源共栅放大电路的测试结果对放大电路的放大特性进行了验证.以此为基础,利用TCAD模拟改变了结构参数的器件特性并采用改进了结构参数的AlGaN/GaN HEMT设计共源共栅放大电路.仿真结果表明,该放大电路在低频和室温下的电压放大能力可达6 200倍.

200 mm高纯半绝缘SiC衬底AlGaN/GaN HEMT外延材料

南京电子器件研究所采用国产200 mm高纯半绝缘SiC衬底,提出衬底高温刻蚀、GaN外延模式调控应力等技术,有效解决了高温下衬底边缘突翘和薄膜异质生长应力大等问题,显著降低了大尺寸外延材料的翘曲度,研制出高质量200 mm SiC衬底AlGaN/GaN HEMT外延材料(图1)。外延材料测试结果表明,二维电子气室温迁移率达到2 231 cm^(2)/(V·s),方块电阻片内不均匀性为2.3%(图2),GaN(0002)和(1012)面XRD摇摆曲线半高宽分别达到143 arcsec和233 arcsec,圆片弯曲度和翘曲度分别达到-18.7μm和27.1μm(图3)。材料显示了优良的结晶质量和电学特性,为GaN微波毫米波功率器件和MMIC应用奠定了良好的技术基础。

基于AlGaN/GaN HEMT外差探测器的太赫兹线阵列矢量探测系统

为了研究AlGaN/GaN高电子迁移率晶体管(High-Electron-Mobility Transistor,HEMT)外差探测器应用于太赫兹来波方向(Direction of Arrival,DOA)估计领域的可行性及量化性能指标,基于AlGaN/GaN HEMT 243GHz外差探测器搭建了太赫兹波线阵列矢量探测系统,实现了太赫兹连续波的相位分布和来波方向的测量。该系统的核心器件为准光-波导耦合的太赫兹外差探测器线阵列组件,阵元平均噪声等效功率(Noise-Equivalent-Power,NEP)为-123.89dBm/Hz。通过测试,表明该系统相位解析稳定度优于0.6°,线阵列组件法线(阵列芯片的垂线)方向左右11°以内的太赫兹来波方向的检测误差小于0.25°。讨论了存在误差的原因及可能的解决方案,为后续基于AlGaN/GaN HEMT面阵列的太赫兹相控阵雷达及定向通信系统的研制提供了基础。

11.2 W/mm power density AlGaN/GaN high electron-mobility transistors on a GaN substrate

In this letter,high power density AlGaN/GaN high electron-mobility transistors(HEMTs)on a freestanding GaN substrate are reported.An asymmetricΓ-shaped 500-nm gate with a field plate of 650 nm is introduced to improve microwave power performance.The breakdown voltage(BV)is increased to more than 200 V for the fabricated device with gate-to-source and gate-to-drain distances of 1.08 and 2.92μm.A record continuous-wave power density of 11.2 W/mm@10 GHz is realized with a drain bias of 70 V.The maximum oscillation frequency(f_(max))and unity current gain cut-off frequency(f_(t))of the AlGaN/GaN HEMTs exceed 30 and 20 GHz,respectively.The results demonstrate the potential of AlGaN/GaN HEMTs on freestanding GaN substrates for microwave power applications.

具有微型倾斜栅场板的高频AlGaN/GaN HEMT器件结构研究

较小的器件尺寸可以帮助GaN基HEMT实现更高的频率特性,但会使器件内部电场集聚,引起击穿电压降低,严重限制器件的高频功率特性。为了解决上述问题,采用微型倾斜栅场板,可以在保持频率特性的情况下提升器件的击穿电压。通过对具有不同关键参数(既倾斜角度)的AlGaN/GaN HEMT进行仿真分析,系统研究不同倾斜角度对器件特性的影响。研究发现击穿电压(V_(BK))随着倾斜角度的减小而增大;电流截止频率(f_(T))和最大振荡频率(f_(max))均随着倾斜角度的减小而降低。JFOM(JFOM=f_(T)·V_(BK))随着倾斜角度的减小先增大后降低,具有26.6°倾斜角度的器件的JFOM最大,达到了11.13THz V。通过大信号仿真,发现具有最优倾斜角度的器件工作在深AB类状态时,器件的最大增益、饱和输出功率密度、功率附加效率(PAE)分别为12.90dB、5.62W/mm、52.56%。

Recess-free enhancement-mode AlGaN/GaN RF HEMTs on Si substrate

Enhancement-mode(E-mode)GaN-on-Si radio-frequency(RF)high-electron-mobility transistors(HEMTs)were fabri-cated on an ultrathin-barrier(UTB)AlGaN(<6 nm)/GaN heterostructure featuring a naturally depleted 2-D electron gas(2DEG)channel.The fabricated E-mode HEMTs exhibit a relatively high threshold voltage(VTH)of+1.1 V with good uniformity.A maxi-mum current/power gain cut-off frequency(fT/fMAX)of 31.3/99.6 GHz with a power added efficiency(PAE)of 52.47%and an out-put power density(Pout)of 1.0 W/mm at 3.5 GHz were achieved on the fabricated E-mode HEMTs with 1-μm gate and Au-free ohmic contact.

基于微区拉曼法的AlGaN/GaN HEMT沟道温度测试研究

针对现有温度测试技术难以满足GaN器件寿命、可靠性以及热管理控制对沟道温度精确评估的需求,开展基于微区拉曼法测定AlGaN/GaN高电子迁移率晶体管(HEMT)的沟道温度的研究。使用拉曼系统测量GaN材料的E2声子频率特征峰来确定沟道温度。通过使用洛伦兹拟合方法,提高拉曼测试结果精度。对微区拉曼法和红外热成像法测量器件结温进行量化研究,器件的直流输出功率密度分别为6、8、10 W/mm时基于微区拉曼法测得的GaN器件沟道温度分布为140.7、176.7、213.6℃;基于红外热成像法测得的温度分布为132.0、160.2、189.8℃。其测试精度相对红外法分别提升6.6%,10.3%和12.5%,同时尝试探索沟道深度方向的温度测量,实现沟道下3μm的温度测量,结果表明微区拉曼法有更高的测试精度,对器件结温的测量与评估以及热管理技术的提升都有重要意义。

AlGaN/GaN异质结HEMT电学特性仿真研究

GaN基高电子迁移率晶体管(HEMT)作为宽禁带功率半导体器件的代表,在电子电路的应用方面有巨大的潜力。GaN HEMT因其高击穿电压、高电子迁移率等优异性能,适用于各种高频、高功率器件,并被广泛应用于雷达和航空航天等领域。文中利用Silvaco TCAD软件,定义了AlGaN/GaN单异质结和双异质结HEMT结构,并对其转移特性、输出特性、频率特性和热特性进行了仿真研究。结果表明,AlGaN/GaN双异质结HEMT比单异质结器件具有更好的性能。这主要得益于双异质结二维电子气具有更好的限域性,并且载流子迁移率高的优势。

Effects of 1 MeV electron radiation on the AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors

In this study, the effects of 1 MeV electron radiation on the D-mode GaN-based high electron mobility transistors(HEMTs) were investigated after different radiation doses. The changes in electrical properties of the device were obtained, and the related physical mechanisms were analyzed. It indicated that under the radiation dose of 5 × 10^(14) cm^(-2), the channel current cannot be completely pinched off even if the negative gate voltage was lower than the threshold voltage, and the gate leakage current increased significantly. The emission microscopy and scanning electron microscopy were used to determine the damage location. Besides, the radiation dose was adjusted ranging from 5 × 10^(12) to 1 × 10^(14) cm^(-2), and we noticed that the drain-source current increased and the threshold voltage presented slightly negative shift. By calculations, it suggested that the carrier density and electron mobility gradually increased. It provided a reference for the development of device radiation reinforcement technology.

Current-collapse suppression and leakage-current decrease in AlGaN/GaN HEMT by sputter-TaN gate-dielectric layer

In this paper, we explore the electrical characteristics of high-electron-mobility transistors(HEMTs) using a TaN/AlGaN/GaN metal insulating semiconductor(MIS) structure. The high-resistance tantalum nitride(TaN) film prepared by magnetron sputtering as the gate dielectric layer of the device achieved an effective reduction of electronic states at the TaN/AlGaN interface, and reducing the gate leakage current of the MIS HEMT, its performance was enhanced. The HEMT exhibited a low gate leakage current of 2.15 × 10^(-7) mA/mm and a breakdown voltage of 1180 V. Furthermore, the MIS HEMT displayed exceptional operational stability during dynamic tests, with dynamic resistance remaining only 1.39 times even under 400 V stress.

具有高击穿电压和低关断态电流的AlGaN/GaN高电子迁移率晶体管

为了能够完全发挥GaN基器件的优势,提高AlGaN/GaN HEMT器件的耐压值,通过在传统AlGaN/GaN HEMT的栅极和漏极之间加入一层Al组份为0~0.25线性渐变的AlGaN极化诱导层(PIL),形成Al极化梯度,进而诱导出三维空穴气(3DHG)。3DHG可起到辅助HEMT沟道耗尽的作用,其通过电荷的电场调制抬高了沟道处的整体电场值,使得栅漏之间的沟道电场分布更加均匀。使用Sentaurus TCAD对AlGaN/GaN HEMT器件进行仿真实验,并对物理模型参数进行校正。仿真结果表明,Al组份极化梯度越大,3DHG浓度峰值越大,最大浓度为1.05×10^(18)cm^(-3),且3DHG浓度与PIL-HEMT击穿电压正相关;PIL-HEMT的电学特性得到了提高,击穿电压由常规AlGaN/GaN HEMT器件的66.7 V提高到975 V,有效长度平均耐压提高到162.5 V·μm^(-1),比导通电阻R_(on,sp)=1.09 mΩ·cm^(2),相较于常规HEMT的比导通电阻增大了0.36 mΩ·cm^(2);FOM为1.23 GW·cm^(-2),且在饱和电流(0.23 A·mm^(-1))不变的前提下使关断电流从常规的1.6×10-7A·mm^(-1)减小到6.2×10^(-8)A·mm^(-1),降低了PIL-HEMT的静态功耗。

Novel GaN-based double-channel p-heterostructure field-effect transistors with a p-GaN insertion layer

GaN-based p-channel heterostructure field-effect transistors(p-HFETs)face significant constraints on on-state currents compared with n-channel high electron mobility transistors.In this work,we propose a novel double heterostructure which introduces an additional p-GaN insertion layer into traditional p-HFETs.The impact of the device structure on the hole densities and valence band energies of both the upper and lower channels is analyzed by using Silvaco TACD simulations,including the thickness of the upper AlGaN layer and the doping impurities and concentration in the GaN buffer layer,as well as the thickness and Mg-doping concentration in the p-GaN insertion layer.With the help of the p-GaN insertion layer,the C-doping concentration in the GaN buffer layer can be reduced,while the density of the two-dimensional hole gas in the lower channel is enhanced at the same time.This work suggests that a double heterostructure with a p-GaN insertion layer is a better approach to improve p-HFETs compared with those devices with C-doped buffer layer alone.

The low-temperature mobility of two-dimensional electron gas in AlGaN/GaN heterostructures

To reveal the internal physics of the low-temperature mobility of two-dimensional electron gas （2DEG） in Al- GaN/GaN heterostructures, we present a theoretical study of the strong dependence of 2DEG mobility on Al content and thickness of AlGaN barrier layer. The theoretical results are compared with one of the highest measured of 2DEG mobility reported for AlGaN/GaN heterostructures. The 2DEG mobility is modelled as a combined effect of the scat- tering mechanisms including acoustic deformation-potential, piezoelectric, ionized background donor, surface donor, dislocation, alloy disorder and interface roughness scattering. The analyses of the individual scattering processes show that the dominant scattering mechanisms are the alloy disorder scattering and the interface roughness scattering at low temperatures. The variation of 2DEG mobility with the barrier layer parameters results mainly from the change of 2DEG density and distribution. It is suggested that in AlGaN/GaN samples with a high Al content or a thick AlGaN layer, the interface roughness scattering may restrict the 2DEG mobility significantly, for the AlGaN/GaN interface roughness increases due to the stress accumulation in AlGaN layer.

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.

Self-aligned-gate AlGaN/GaN heterostructure field-effect transistor with titanium nitride gate

Self-aligned-gate heterostructure field-effect transistor（HFET） is fabricated using a wet-etching method.Titanium nitride（TiN） is one kind of thermal stable material which can be used as the gate electrode.A Ti/Au cap layer is fixed on the gate and acts as an etching mask.Then the T-shaped gate is automatically formed through over-etching the TiN layer in 30% H2O2 solution at 95 ℃.After treating the ohmic region with an inductively coupled plasma（ICP） method,an Al layer is sputtered as an ohmic electrode.The ohmic contact resistance is approximately 0.3 Ω·mm after annealing at a low-temperature of 575 ℃ in N2 ambient for 1 min.The TiN gate leakage current is only 10^-8 A after the low-temperature ohmic process.The access region length of the self-aligned-gate（SAG） HFET was reduced from 2 μm to 0.3 μm compared with that of the gate-first HFET.The output current density and transconductance of the device which has the same gate length and width are also increased.

Low-thermal-budget Au-free ohmic contact to an ultrathin barrier AlGaN/GaN heterostructure utilizing a micro-patterned ohmic recess

A pre-ohmic micro-patterned recess process,is utilized to fabricate Ti/Al/Ti/TiN ohmic contact to an ultrathin-barrier(UTB)AlGaN/GaN heterostructure,featuring a significantly reduced ohmic contact resistivity of 0.56Ω·mm at an alloy temperature of 550℃.The sheet resistances increase with the temperature following a power law with the index of +2.58,while the specific contact resistivity decreases with the temperature.The contact mechanism can be well described by thermionic field emission(TFE).The extracted Schottky barrier height and electron concentration are 0.31 eV and 5.52×10^(18) cm^(−3),which suggests an intimate contact between ohmic metal and the UTB-AlGaN as well as GaN buffer.A good correlation between ohmic transfer length and the micro-pattern size is revealed,though in-depth investigation is needed.A preliminary CMOS-process-compatible metal-insulator-semiconductor high-mobility transistor(MIS-HEMT)was fabricated with the proposed Au-free ohmic contact technique.

Influence of drain bias on the electron mobility in AlGaN/AlN/GaN heterostructure field-effect transistors

Using measured capacitance-voltage curves and current-voltage characteristics for the AlGaN/AlN/GaN heterostructure field-effect transistors with different gate lengths and drain-to-source distances, the influence of drain bias on the electron mobility is investigated. It is found that below the knee voltage the longitudinal optical （LO） phonon scattering and interface roughness scattering are dominant for the sample with a large ratio of gate length to drain-to-source distance （here 4/5）, and the polarization Coulomb field scattering is dominant for the sample with a small ratio （here 1/5）. However, the above polarization Coulomb field scattering is weakened in the sample with a small drain-to-source distance （here 20 μm） compared with the one with a large distance （here 100 μm）. This is due to the induced strain in the AlGaN layer caused by the drain bias.

Influence of thermal stress on the characteristic parameters of AlGaN/GaN heterostructure Schottky contacts

Ni Schottky contacts on A1GaN/GaN heterostructures have been fabricated. The samples are then thermally treated in a furnace with N2 ambient at 600℃ for different times （0.5, 4.5, 10.5, 18, 33, 48 and 72 h）. Current-voltage （I-V） and capacitance-voltage （C-V） relationships are measured, and SchrSdinger＇s and Poisson＇s equations are self- consistently solved to obtain the characteristic parameters related to A1GaN/GaN heterostructure $chottky contacts： the two-dimensional electron gas （2DEG） sheet density, the polarization sheet charge density, the 2DEG distribution in the triangle quantum well and the Schottky barrier height for each thermal stressing time. Most of the above parameters reduce with the increase of stressing time, only the parameter of the average distance of the 2DEG from the A1CaN/GaN interface increases with the increase of thermal stressing time. The changes of the characteristic parameters can be divided into two stages. In the first stage the strain in the A1GaN barrier layer is present. In this stage the characteristic parameters change rapidly compared with those in the second stage in which the AlGaN barrier layer is relaxed and no strain is present.

Abnormal phenomenon of source-drain current of AlGaN/GaN heterostructure device under UV/visible light irradiation

We report an abnormal phenomenon that the source-drain current(I_(D))of AlGaN/GaN heterostructure devices decreases under visible light irradiation.When the incident light wavelength is 390 nm,the photon energy is less than the band gaps of GaN and AlGaN whereas it can causes an increase of ID.Based on the UV light irradiation,a decrease of I_(D) can still be observed when turning on the visible light.We speculate that this abnormal phenomenon is related to the surface barrier height,the unionized donor-like surface states below the surface Fermi level and the ionized donor-like surface states above the surface Fermi level.For visible light,its photon energy is less than the surface barrier height of the AlGaN layer.The electrons bound in the donor-like surface states below the Fermi level are excited and trapped by the ionized donor-like surface states between the Fermi level and the conduction band of AlGaN.The electrons trapped in ionized donor-like surface states show a long relaxation time,and the newly ionized donor-like surface states below the surface Fermi level are filled with electrons from the two-dimensional electron gas(2DEG)channel at AlGaN/GaN interface,which causes the decrease of ID.For the UV light,when its photon energy is larger than the surface barrier height of the AlGaN layer,electrons in the donor-like surface states below the Fermi level are excited to the conduction band and then drift into the 2DEG channel quickly,which cause the increase of ID.