Comparative study of AlGaN/GaN metal-oxide-semiconductor heterostructure field-effect transistors with Al2O3 and HfO2 gate oxide

AlGaN/GaN metal-oxide-semiconductor heterostructure field-effect transistors (MOSHFETs) with Al₂O₃ gate oxide which was deposited by atomic layer deposition (ALD) were fabricated and their performance was then compared with that of AlGaN/GaN MOSHFETs with HfO₂ gate oxide. The capacitance (C)-voltage (V) curve of the Al₂O₃/GaN MOS diodes showed a lower hysteresis and lower interface state density than the C-V curve of the HfO₂/GaN diodes, indicating better quality of the Al₂O₃/GaN interface. The saturation of drain current in the I_D-V_GS relation of the Al₂O₃ AlGaN/GaN MOSHFETs was not as pronounced as that of the HfO₂ AlGaN/GaN MOSHFETs. The gate leakage current of the Al₂O₃ MOSHFET was five to eight orders of magnitude smaller than that of the HfO₂ MOSHFETs.     

Modeling on oxide dependent 2DEG sheet charge density and threshold voltage in AlGaN/GaN MOSHEMT

We have developed a physics based analytical model for the calculation of threshold voltage, two dimensional electron gas (2DEG) density and surface potential for AlGaN/GaN metal oxide semiconductor high electron mobility transistors (MOSHEMT). The developed model includes important parameters like polarization charge density at oxide/AlGaN and AlGaN/GaN interfaces, interfacial defect oxide charges and donor charges at the surface of the AlGaN barrier. The effects of two different gate oxides (Al₂O₃ and HfO₂) are compared for the performance evaluation of the proposed MOSHEMT. The MOSHEMTs with Al₂O₃ dielectric have an advantage of significant increase in 2DEG up to 1.2×10¹³ cm^-2 with an increase in oxide thickness up to 10 nm as compared to HfO₂ dielectric MOSHEMT. The surface potential for HfO₂ based device decreases from 2 to -1.6 eV within 10 nm of oxide thickness whereas for the Al₂O₃ based device a sharp transition of surface potential occurs from 2.8 to -8.3 eV. The variation in oxide thickness and gate metal work function of the proposed MOSHEMT shifts the threshold voltage from negative to positive realizing the enhanced mode operation. Further to validate the model, the device is simulated in Silvaco Technology Computer Aided Design (TCAD) showing good agreement with the proposed model results. The accuracy of the developed calculations of the proposed model can be used to develop a complete physics based 2DEG sheet charge density and threshold voltage model for GaN MOSHEMT devices for performance analysis.     

AlGaN/GaN metal-oxide semiconductor heterostructure field-effect transistor with photo-chemical-vapor deposition SiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> gate oxide

High-quality SiO₂ was successfully deposited onto GaN by photo-chemicalvapor deposition (photo-CVD) using a D₂ lamp as the excitation source. The AlGaN/GaN metal-oxide semiconductor, heterostructure field-effect transistors (MOSHFETs) were also fabricated with photo-CVD oxide as the insulating layer. Compared with AlGaN/GaN metal-semiconductor HFETs (MESHFETs) with similar structure, we found that we could reduce the gate-leakage current by more than four orders of magnitude by inserting the photo-CVD oxide layer in between the AlGaN/GaN and the gate metal. With a 2-μm gate, it was found that the saturated I_ds, maximum g_m, and gate-voltage swing (GVS) of the fabricated nitride-based MOSHFET were 512 mA/mm, 90.7 mS/mm, and 6 V, respectively.     

Atomic-layer-deposited Al2O3 and HfO2 on GaN: A comparative study on interfaces and electrical characteristics

Al₂O₃, HfO₂, and composite HfO₂/Al₂O₃ films were deposited on n-type GaN using atomic layer deposition (ALD). The interfacial layer of GaON and HfON was observed between HfO₂ and GaN, whereas the absence of an interfacial layer at Al₂O₃/GaN was confirmed using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The dielectric constants of Al₂O₃, HfO₂, and composite HfO₂/Al₂O₃ calculated from the C-V measurement are 9, 16.5, and 13.8, respectively. The Al₂O₃ employed as a template in the composite structure has suppressed the interfacial layer formation during the subsequent ALD-HfO₂ and effectively reduced the gate leakage current. While the dielectric constant of the composite HfO₂/Al₂O₃ film is lower than that of HfO₂, the composite structure provides sharp oxide/GaN interface without interfacial layer, leading to better electrical properties.     

Polarization-Engineered Ga-Face GaN-Based Heterostructures for Normally-Off Heterostructure Field-Effect Transistors

Polarization-engineered Ga-face GaN-based heterostructures with a GaN cap layer and an AlGaN/p-GaN back barrier have been designed for normally-off field-effect transistors (FETs). The simulation results show that an unintentionally doped GaN cap and p-GaN layer in the buffer primarily deplete electrons in the channel and the Al_0.2Ga_0.8N back barrier helps to pinch off the channel. Experimentally, we have demonstrated a normally-off GaN-based field-effect transistor on the designed GaN cap/Al_0.3Ga_0.7N/GaN channel/Al_0.2Ga_0.8N/p-GaN/GaN heterostructure. A positive threshold voltage of 0.2 V and maximum transconductance of 2.6 mS/mm were achieved for 80-μm-long gate devices. The device fabrication process does not require a dry etching process for gate recessing, while highly selective etching of the GaN cap against a very thin Al_0.3GaN_0.7N top barrier has to be performed to create a two-dimensional electron gas for both the ohmic and access regions. A self-aligned, selective etch of the GaN cap in the access region is introduced, using the gate metal as an etch mask. The absence of gate recess etching is promising for uniform and repeatable threshold voltage control in normally-off AlGaN/GaN heterostructure FETs for power switching applications.     

Physical and electrical characterization of polysilicon vs. TiN gate electrodes for HfO2 transistors

The effects of pre-deposition substrate treatments and gate electrode materials on the properties and performance of high-k gate dielectric transistors were investigated. The performance of O₃ vs. HF-last/NH₃ pre-deposition treatments followed by either polysilicon (poly-Si) or TiN gate electrodes was systematically studied in devices consisting of HfO₂ gate dielectric produced by atomic layer deposition (ALD). High-angle annular dark field scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF-STEM) using X-ray spectra and Electron Energy Loss Spectra (EELS) were used to produce elemental profiles of nitrogen, oxygen, silicon, titanium, and hafnium to provide interfacial chemical information and to convey their changes in concentration across these high-k transistor gate-stacks of 1.0–1.8 nm equivalent oxide thickness (EOT). For the TiN electrode case, EELS spectra illustrate interfacial elemental overlap on a scale comparable to the HfO₂ microroughness. For the poly-Si electrode, an amorphous reaction region exists at the HfO₂/poly-Si interface. Using fast transient single pulse (SP) electrical measurements, electron trapping was found to be greater with poly-Si electrode devices, as compared to TiN. This may be rationalized as a result of a higher density of trap centers induced by the high-k/poly-Si material interactions and may be related to increased physical thickness of the dielectric film, as illustrated by HAADF-STEM images, and may also derive from the approximately 0.5 nm larger EOT associated with polysilicon electrodes on otherwise identical gate stacks.     

Structural and Carrier Dynamics of GaN and AlGaN-Based Double Heterostructures in the UV Region

Aluminum gallium nitride-based double heterostructures with two different active layer widths have been grown on GaN templates by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition. Crystalline quality has been investigated using high-resolution x-ray diffraction analysis, and screw, edge, as well as total dislocation densities in the GaN epilayer have been calculated. The dislocation density of GaN has been found to be on the order of 10⁸ cm^?2. The nominal Al composition and in-plane strain ε _xx for the AlGaN layer grown on the GaN layer have been measured by asymmetric reciprocal-space mapping. Surface properties and cross-sectional views of the samples have been analyzed using atomic force microscopy (AFM) and field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), respectively. Room-temperature time-resolved photoluminescence and photoluminescence measurements have been performed on Al_0.18Ga_0.82N/Al_0.45Ga_0.55N double heterostructures and the GaN template. The interface recombination velocity (S) of AlGaN-based double heterostructures has been calculated using carrier decay time measurement, increasing from 8.7 × 10³ cm/s to 13.4 × 10³ cm/s with varying active layer thickness.     

Identifying the spatial position and properties of traps in GaN HEMTs using current transient spectroscopy

Time constant spectra are extracted from current transients based on the Bayesian deconvolution and used to characterize traps in GaN high-electron mobility transistors. Two kinds of traps with different time constants in an actual device were identified in the AlGaN barrier layer and the GaN layer, respectively. In particular, the trapping process in the AlGaN barrier layer was identified at the region near the drain side under gate contact. Trapping mechanisms of both two traps are discussed. Additionally, we observe that the trap in the AlGaN barrier layer requires sufficient electric field to activate the trapping process and a high drain voltage (V_ds) accelerates the trapping processes both in the AlGaN barrier layer and the GaN layer. In addition, detrapping experiments with different filling conditions were performed to confirm their spatial positions. The influence of self-heating is excluded during the experiment by keeping the power density at a very low level, and the trapping effect is the sole factor accounting for the current transients.     

Effects of high-temperature AIN buffer on the microstructure of AlGaN/GaN HEMTs

Effects on AlGaN/GaN high-electron-mobility transistor structure of a high-temperature AlN buffer on sapphire substrate have been studied by high-resolution x-ray diffraction and atomic force microscopy techniques. The buffer improves the microstructural quality of GaN epilayer and reduces approximately one order of magnitude the edge-type threading dislocation density. As expected, the buffer also leads an atomically flat surface with a low root-mean-square of 0.25 nm and a step termination density in the range of 10⁸ cm^?2. Due to the high-temperature buffer layer, no change on the strain character of the GaN and AlGaN epitaxial layers has been observed. Both epilayers exhibit compressive strain in parallel to the growth direction and tensile strain in perpendicular to the growth direction. However, an high-temperature AlN buffer layer on sapphire substrate in the HEMT structure reduces the tensile stress in the AlGaN layer.     

Control of Interface Traps in HfO2 Gate Dielectric on Silicon

The effects of postdeposition annealing (PDA) on the interface between HfO₂ high-k dielectric and bulk silicon were studied in detail. The key challenges of successfully adopting the high-k dielectric/Si gate stack into advanced complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor (CMOS) technology are mostly due to interfacial properties. We have proposed a PDA treatment at 600°C for several different durations (5 min to 25 min) in nitrogen or oxygen (95% N₂ + 5% O₂) ambient with a 5-nm-thick HfO₂ film on a silicon substrate. We found that oxidation of the HfO₂/Si interface, removal of the deep trap centers, and crystallization of the film take place during the postdeposition annealing (PDA). The optimal PDA conditions for low interface trap density were found to be dependent on the PDA duration. The formation of an amorphous interface layer (IL) at the HfO₂/Si interface was observed. The growth was due to oxygen incorporated during thermal annealing that reacts with the Si substrate. The interface traps of the bonding features, defect states, and hysteresis under different PDA conditions were studied using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), x-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and leakage current density–voltage (J–V) and capacitance–voltage (C–V) techniques. The results showed that the HfO₂/Si stack with PDA in oxygen showed better physical and electrical performance than with PDA in nitrogen. Therefore, PDA can improve the interface properties of HfO₂/Si and the densification of HfO₂ thin films.     

Study on mobility enhancement in MOVPE-grown AlGaN/AlN/GaN HEMT structures using a thin AlN interfacial layer

Al_0.26Ga_0.74N/AlN/GaN high-electron-mobility transistor (HEMT) structures with AlN interfacial layers of various thicknesses were grown on 100-mm-diameter sapphire substrates by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy, and their structural and electrical properties were characterized. A sample with an optimum AlN layer thickness of 1.0 nm showed a highly enhanced Hall mobility (μ_Hall) of 1770 cm²/Vs with a low sheet resistance (ρ_s) of 365 Ω/sq. (2DEG density n_s = 1.0 × 10¹³/cm²) at room temperature compared with those of a sample without the AlN interfacial layer (μ_Hall = 1287 cm²/Vs, ρ_s = 539 Ω/sq., and n_s = 0.9 × 10¹³/cm²). Electron transport properties in AlGaN/AlN/GaN structures were theoretically studied, and the calculated results indicated that the insertion of an AlN layer into the AlGaN/GaN heterointerface can significantly enhance the 2DEG mobility due to the reduction of alloy disorder scattering. HEMTs were successfully fabricated and characterized. It was confirmed that AlGaN/AlN/GaN HEMTs with the optimum AlN layer thickness show superior DC properties compared with conventional AlGaN/GaN HEMTs.     

An AlN/Ultrathin AlGaN/GaN HEMT Structure for Enhancement-Mode Operation Using Selective Etching

A novel device structure incorporating an ultrathin AlGaN barrier layer capped by an AlN layer in the source–drain access regions has been implemented to reliably control threshold voltage in AlGaN/GaN high-electron-mobility transistors. A recessed-gate structure has been used to decrease 2-D electron gas (2DEG) density under the gate, thus controlling threshold voltage while maintaining low on-resistance and high current density. The structure presented in this letter implements an ultrathin AlGaN structure grown by metal–organic chemical vapor deposition capped with AlN to maintain a high 2DEG density in the access regions. A selective wet etch using heated photoresist developer is used to selectively etch the AlN layer in the gate region to the AlGaN barrier. We have demonstrated a repeatable threshold voltage of $+$ 0.21 V with 4-nm AlGaN barrier layer thickness.      

Comparative DC Characteristic Analysis of AlGaN/GaN HEMTs Grown on Si(111) and Sapphire Substrates by MBE

A comparative assessment of AlGaN/GaN high-electron-mobility transistors (HEMTs) grown by molecular beam epitaxy on silicon and sapphire substrates has been carried out. Large-area power GaN HEMTs with identical device dimensions were fabricated on both substrates. A thicker AlN buffer layer was used for the GaN HEMT on silicon to achieve similar quality and uniformity of GaN epitaxy for rational comparison with that grown on sapphire. Direct-current analysis and physical characterization were carried out to understand the performance of the devices. Mathematical measurement of the instability of the current–voltage (I–V) characteristic at high applied drain bias was carried out to evaluate the performance of both devices. An improved two-dimensional (2D) analysis of the I–V characteristic was performed from a thermal perspective including appropriate scattering effects on the 2D electron gas mobility. The experimental and analytical studies were correlated to reveal the effects of temperature-sensitive scattering phenomena on the mobility as well as on the I–V characteristic at high drain bias in terms of lattice thermal heating. It is observed that the HEMT on Si has improved stability compared with sapphire due to its weaker scattering phenomena at high drain bias, associated with its thermal conductivity. Simulation of 2D thermal mapping was also carried out to distinguish the hot-spot regions of the devices. The comparable electrical performance of these devices illustrates the viability of AlGaN/GaN HEMTs on Si(111) to achieve low-cost stable devices with better thermal power handling for high-voltage applications.     

Poly-Si gate electrodes for AlGaN/GaN HEMT with high reliability and low gate leakage current

AlGaN/GaN HEMT with a BF₂-implanted polycrystalline Si gate has been characterized through comparison to TiN gate electrodes. Positive threshold voltage (V_th) shift was observed with the addition of F ions, which in turn degraded the effective electron mobility (μ_eff) by diffusion into the AlGaN/GaN interface and GaN layer. A large reduction in gate leakage current (J_g) was achieved and the property was maintained even after strong reverse-bias stressing. No additional degradation in μ_eff was observed, suggesting the formation of a stable poly-Si/AlGaN interface. Therefore, poly-Si gate electrodes have advantages in reducing the J_g and robustness against reverse-bias stressing.     

0.6nm-EOT high-k gate stacks with HfSiOx interfacial layer grown by solid-phase reaction between HfO2 and Si substrate

We have developed a process for forming an ultra-thin HfSiO_x interfacial layer (HfSiO_x-IL) for high-k gate stacks. The HfSiO_x-IL was grown by the solid-phase reaction between HfO₂ and Si-substrate performed by repeating the sequence of ALD HfO₂ deposition and RTA. The HfSiO_x-IL grown by this method enables the formation of very uniform films consisting of a few mono-layers, and the dielectric constant of the HfSiO_x-IL is about 7. The FUSI-NiSi/HfO₂ gate stacks with HfSiO_x-IL have achieved 0.6 nm EOT, a very low gate leakage currents between 1 A/cm² and 5 × 10⁻² A/cm², an excellent subthreshold swing of 66mV/dec, and a high peak mobility of 160 cm²/Vs compared to the reference samples without HfSiO_x-IL. These results indicate that the HfSiO_x-IL has a good quality compared to the SiO₂ interfacial layer grown by oxygen diffusion through HfO₂ films.     

Crystalline SiN<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript> Ultrathin Films Grown on AlGaN/GaN Using <Emphasis Type="Italic">In Situ</Emphasis> Metalorganic Chemical Vapor Deposition

Surface passivation by SiN _x films is indispensable for high-power operation of AlGaN/GaN heterojunction field-effect transistors (HFETs) since it can effectively suppress collapse in the drain current. So far, the plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition technique has been used for the SiN _x deposition; however, possible damage induced by the plasma processing may affect direct-current performance or reliability. In this paper, we present subsequent deposition of SiN _x ultrathin films on AlGaN/GaN in the same metalorganic chemical vapor deposition reactor. It is experimentally found that this in situ SiN _x passivation doubles the sheet carrier density at the AlGaN/GaN interface from that of the unpassivated sample. High-resolution cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy reveals that in situ SiN _x is crystallized on the AlGaN layer as island-like structures via the Stranski-Krastanov growth mode. The lattice constants of in situ SiN _x are estimated to be a ≈ 3.2 Å and c ≈ 2.4 Å, which are quite different from those of well-known Si₃N₄ crystal structures. First-principles calculation predicts that the crystal structure of in situ SiN _x is the defect wurtzite structure, which well explains the experimental results. The passivation technique using crystalline SiN _x films would be promising for high-power and high-frequency applications of AlGaN/GaN HFETs.     

Correlation of in-situ reflectance spectra and resistivity of GaN/Al<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> interfacial layer in metalorganic chemical vapor deposition

The correlation between the resistivity of an undoped GaN/Al₂O₃ interfacial layer and in-situ reflectance spectrum in metalorganic chemical vapor deposition and the mechanism of this correlation were investigated. The first minimum reflectance during the initial high-temperature GaN growth was found to be a good indicator of the resistivity of the GaN buffer. The background electron concentration and mobility were both higher in the samples with higher indicative reflectance at that point. The resistivity of the GaN buffer layer was predominantly determined by an ∼0.25-μm-thick layer near the GaN/Al₂O₃ interface. Atomic force microscope (AFM) and high-resolution x-ray diffraction (HRXRD) results showed that the samples with higher indicative reflectance had smaller sized but higher density nuclei before the high-temperature GaN growth and lower screw threading dislocation (TD) density in the initially grown GaN. The difference in the background electron concentration and mobility of the interfacial layer was related to the relatively higher concentration of the O and Al diffused from Al₂O₃, which is also dependent on the size and density of the nuclei. These differences were found not to affect the structural and electrical properties or the surface morphology of AlGaN/GaN high electron-mobility transistors (HEMTs, except for the buffer conduction) when the GaN buffer is thick enough (e.g., ∼2.5 μm).     

A quantum mechanical mobility model for scaled NMOS transistors with ultra-thin high-K dielectrics and metal gate electrodes

A quantum mechanical model of electron mobility for scaled NMOS transistors with ultra-thin SiO₂/HfO₂ dielectrics (effective oxide thickness is less than 1 nm) and metal gate electrode is presented in this paper. The inversion layer carrier density is calculated quantum mechanically due to the consideration of high transverse electric field created in the transistor channel. The mobility model includes: (1) Coulomb scattering effect arising from the scattering centers at the semiconductor–dielectric interface, fixed charges in the high-K film and bulk impurities, and (2) surface roughness effect associated with the semiconductor–dielectric interface. The model predicts the electron mobility in MOS transistors will increase with continuous dielectric layer scaling and a fixed volume trap density assumption in high-K film. The Coulomb scattering mobility dependence on the interface trap density, fixed charges in the high-K film, interfacial oxide layer thickness and high-K film thickness is demonstrated in the paper.     

Enhancement in thermal stability of atomic layer deposited HfO2 films by using top Hf metal layer

A thin (∼ 0.5 nm) layer of Hf metal was deposited on an atomic layer deposited (ALD) HfO₂ film by the DC sputtering method. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy analyses showed that the Hf metal layer transformed into HfO₂ during the post-deposition annealing process. It appears that the HfO₂ layer formed by the oxidation of Hf metal provided the underlying ALD HfO₂ layer with the nucleation sites necessary to decrease the grain-boundary density of the crystallized HfO₂ film. The decrease in the grain-boundary density resulted in a reduction in the Hf-silicate formation and interfacial layer growth during post deposition annealing. This eventually resulted in a smaller increase in the capacitance equivalent thickness (CET) and high-k characteristics in the CET vs. leakage current density curve even after post deposition annealing at 1000 °C.