AlGaN/GaN基HBTs的高频特性模拟

对n-p-n型AlGaN/GaN基HBTs的高频特性进行了模拟计算，分析了发射区、基区、集电区的一些材料参数对n-p-n型AlGaN/GaN基HBTs的高频特性的影响. 发现基区的设计对频率性能影响很大，减小基区厚度、增大空穴浓度和迁移率将有效提高HBTs的频率性能.     

Simulation of npn and pnp AlGaN/GaN heterojunction bipolartransistors performances: limiting factors and optimum design

The performance capabilities of npn and pnp AlGaN/GaN heterojunction bipolar transistors have been investigated by using a drift-diffusion transport model. Numerical results have been employed to study the effect of the p-type Mg doping and its incomplete ionization on device performance. The high base resistance induced by the deep acceptor level is found to be one of the causes of limited current gain values for npn devices. Reasonable improvements of the dc current gain β are observed by realistically reducing the base thickness and consequently the transit time, in accordance with processing limitations. Base transport enhancement is predicted by the introduction of a quasi-electric field in the base. The impact of the base resistivity on high-frequency characteristics is investigated for npn AlGaN/GaN devices. Simulation results reveal the difficulty to achieve decent current gain values at high current density for pnp HBTs in common emitter configuration. Despite the high electron mobility in the n-type base that aids in reducing the base resistance, a preliminary analysis for pnp devices indicates limited rf performances caused by the reduced minority hole transport across the base     

AlGaN/GaN HFET的2DEG和电流崩塌研究(Ⅰ)

从不同的视角回顾和研究了A1GaN/GaN HFET的二维电子气(2DEG)和电流崩塌问题.阐述了非掺杂的AIGaN/GaN异质结界面存在2DEG的原动力是极化效应,电子来源是AlGaN上的施主表面态.2DEG浓度与AlGaN/GaN界面导带不连续性、AlGaN层厚和Al组分有密切关系.揭示了AlGaN/GaN HFET的2DEG电荷涨落受控于表面、界面和缓冲层中的各种缺陷及外加应力,表面空穴陷阱形成的虚栅对输入信号有旁路和延迟作用,它们导致高频及微波状态下的电流崩塌.指出由于构成电流崩塌因素的复杂性,各种不同的抑制电流崩塌方法都存在不足,因此实现该器件大功率密度和高可靠性还有很长的路要走.     

Temperature dependent common emitter current gain andcollector-emitter offset voltage study in AlGaN/GaN heterojunctionbipolar transistors

We have demonstrated state-of-the-art performance of AlGaN/GaN heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs) with a common emitter (CE) current gain of 31 at 175 K and 11.3 at 295 K. The increase in collector current and CE current gain at lower temperature can be attributed to the reduced base-emitter interface recombination current. We also observed an increase of collector-emitter offset voltage with decrease of temperature. The increase of V_CEOFF at lower temperature is related to an increase of V_BE as the base bulk current is increased, or to the reduction of the ideality factor n_BE     

AlGaN/GaN基HEMT器件的研究进展(英文)

由于AlGaN具有高的击穿电场(3 MV/cm,是GaAs的7.5倍),且在AlGaN/GaN异质结处存在高浓度的极化诱导二维电子气,AlGaN基高电子迁移率晶体管是目前最适合应用于微波大功率放大领域的器件。着重对影响高频大功率AlGaN/GaN性能的材料结构和器件制作进行了阐述。     

Gallium nitride materials - progress, status, and potential roadblocks

Metal-organic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE) and molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) are the principal techniques for the growth and n-type (Si) and p-type (Mg) doping of III-nitride thin films on sapphire and silicon carbide substrates as well as previously grown GaN films. Lateral and pendeoepitaxy via MOVPE reduce significantly the dislocation density and residual strain in GaN and AlGaN films. However tilt and coalescence boundaries are produced in the laterally growing material. Very high electron mobilities in the nitrides have been realized in radio-frequency plasma-assisted MBE GaN films and in two-dimensional electron gases in the AlGaN/GaN system grown on MOVPE-derived GaN substrates at the crossover from the intermediate growth regime to the droplet regime. State-of-the-art Mg doping profiles and transport properties have been achieved in MBE-derived p-type GaN. The Mg-memory effect, and heterogeneous growth, substrate uniformity, and flux control are significant challenges for MOVPE and MBE, respectively. Photoluminescence (PL) of MOVPE-derived unintentionally doped (UID) heteroepitaxial GaN films show sharp lines near 3.478 eV due to recombination processes associated with the annihilation of free-excitons (FEs) and excitons bound to a neutral shallow donor (D/spl deg/X).     

SiC and GaN transistors - is there one winner for microwave power applications?

Wide bandgap semiconductors show promise for high-power microwave electronic devices. Primarily due to low breakdown voltage, it has not been possible to design and fabricate solid-state transistors that can yield radio-frequency (RF) output power on the order of hundreds to thousands of watts. This has severely limited their use in power applications. Recent improvements in the growth of wide bandgap semiconductor materials, such as SiC and the GaN-based alloys, provide the opportunity to now design and fabricate microwave transistors that demonstrate performance previously available only from microwave tubes. The most promising electronic devices for fabrication in wide bandgap semiconductors for these applications are metal-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MESFETs) fabricated from the 4H-SiC polytype and heterojunction field-effect transistors (HFETs) fabricated using the AlGaN/GaN heterojunction. These devices can provide RF output power on the order of 5-6 W/mm and 10-12 W/mm of gate periphery, respectively. 4H-SiC MESFETs should produce useful performance at least through X band and AlGaN/GaN HFETs should produce useful performance well into the millimeter-wave region, and potentially as high as 100 GHz.     

Low-phase noise AlGaN/GaN FET-based voltage controlled oscillators(VCOs)

The first report of AlGaN/GaN HEMT-based voltage controlled oscillators (VCOs) is presented. Varactor-tuned oscillators implemented using distributed networks oscillate at 6 GHz with high output power (0.5 W), low-phase noise (-92 dBc/Hz SSB noise at 100 kHz offset), and high-tuning bandwidth (10%). The measured phase noise of AlGaN/GaN FETs is compared to the phase noise of GaAs FET and GaAs HBTs at 6 GHz, indicating the AlGaN/GaN FET exhibits equivalent SSB noise to GaAs FETs. These results indicate high power AlGaN/GaN-based VCOs may be used to simplify the line up in a communication radio, while improving the overall efficiency of the radio     

Spontaneous and piezoelectric polarization effects on the outputcharacteristics of AlGaN/GaN heterojunction modulation doped FETs

We report on the calculation of electrical characteristics of AlGaN/GaN heterojunction field effect transistors (HFETs). The model is based on the self-consistent solution of the Schrodinger and Poisson equations coupled to a quasi-2D model for the current flow. Both single and double heterojunction devices are analyzed for [0001] or [000-1] growth directions. The onset of a parasitic p-channel for particular growth directions and alloy concentrations is also shown     

Characteristics of AlGaN/GaN/AlGaN double heteroj unction HEMTs with an improved breakdown voltage

正We studied the performance of AlGaN/GaN double heterojunction high electron mobility transistors (DH-HEMTs) with an AlGaN buffer layer,which leads to a higher potential barrier at the backside of the twodimensional electron gas channel and better carrier confinement.This,remarkably,reduces the drain leakage current and improves the device breakdown voltage.The breakdown voltage of AlGaN/GaN double heterojunction HEMTs (~ 100 V) was significantly improved compared to that of conventional AlGaN/GaN HEMTs(~50 V) for the device with gate dimensions of 0.5 x 100μm and a gate-drain distance of 1μm.The DH-HEMTs also demonstrated a maximum output power of 7.78 W/mm,a maximum power-added efficiency of 62.3%and a linear gain of 23 dB at the drain supply voltage of 35 V at 4 GHz.     

Gallium nitride based high power heterojunction field effecttransistors: process development and present status at UCSB

The development of GaN based devices for microwave power electronics at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), is reviewed. From 1995 to 2000, the power performance of AlGaN/GaN-on-sapphire heterojunction field effect transistors improved from 1.1 W/mm to 6.6 W/mm, respectively. Compensating the disadvantages of the low thermal conductivity of the sapphire substrate through heat management via flip chip bonding onto AlN substrates, large periphery devices with an output power of 7.6 W were demonstrated. UCSB also fabricated the first GaN based amplifier integrated circuits. Critical issues involved in the growth of high quality AlGaN/GaN heterostructures by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition and the device fabrication are discussed     

Role of barrier and buffer layer defect states in AlGaN/GaN HEMT structures

We have used low energy electron-excited nanoscale luminescence spectroscopy (LEEN) to detect the defects in each layer of AlGaN/GaN HEMT device structures to correlate their effect on two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) confinement. Also, we have used Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) to detect the chemical composition as a function of lateral position on a growth wafer and to correlate chemical effects with electronic properties. We investigated several high-quality AlGaN/GaN heterostructures of varying electrical properties using incident electron beam energies of 0.5–15 keV to probe electronic state transitions within each of the heterostructure layers. The LEEN depth profiles reveal differences between sucessful and failed structures and highlight the importance of acceptor deep defect levels in the near 2DEG region. Variations in the GaN and AlGaN band edge emissions, as well as the yellow defect emission across an AlGaN/GaN heterostructure growth wafer have been observed. AES and LEEN spectroscopy of the growth wafer suggest that variation in the cation concentration may play a role in the mechanism responsible for the deep aceceptor level emission in the AlGaN barrier layer.     

增强型AlGaN/GaN/AlGaN双异质结槽栅HEMT研究

为了在获得高击穿电压的同时实现增强型器件,对AlGaN/GaN/AlGaN双异质结HEMT进行了栅槽刻蚀,得到阈值电压为0.6 V的增强型HEMT。对器件特性的变化机理进行了分析,发现刻蚀引入的陷阱态使器件的击穿性能降低。采用变频电导法,定量研究了反应离子刻蚀在AlGaN/GaN/AlGaN双异质结HEMT中引入的陷阱态。研究表明,刻蚀工艺在双异质结HEMT中引入了大量的浅能级陷阱,这些陷阱的能级主要分布在0.36~0.40 eV。     

AlGaN/GaN HEMT材料外延技术研究

采用低压MOCVD技术在蓝宝石和SiC衬底上生长了本征GaN和AlGaN/GaN HEMT结构材料。生长过程中采用了EpiTUNEⅡ在位监测技术,对材料生长工艺进行了模型分析以及优化控制。在获得具有良好表面形貌、晶体质量以及光荧光谱的GaN本征材料基础上,生长了AlGaN/GaN HEMT结构材料,获得了良好的2DEG性能。     

AlGaN/GaN HEMTs on silicon substrates with fT of 32/20GHz and fmax of 27/22 GHz for 0.5/0.7 μm gate length

AlGaN/GaN HEMTs on silicon substrates have been realised and their static and small signal characteristics investigated. The AlGaN/GaN (x=0.23) material structures were grown on (111) p-Si by LP-MOVPE. Devices exhibit a saturation current density of 0.53 to 0.68 A/mm and a peak extrinsic transconductance of 110 mS/mm. A unity gain frequency of 20 and 32 GHz and a maximum frequency of oscillation of 22 and 27 GHz are obtained for devices with a gate length of 0.7 and 0.5 μm, respectively. These values are the highest reported so far on AlGaN/GaN/Si HEMTs and are comparable to those known for devices using sapphire and SiC substrates     

Switching Characteristics of GaN HFETs in a Half Bridge Package for High Temperature Applications

AlGaN/GaN heterojunction field effect transistors (HFETs) are expected to be a good candidate for power switching application at high temperatures. We designed and fabricated a discrete HFET package and a half bridge module using the AlGaN/GaN HFETs and SiC Schottky barrier diodes (SBDs) for high temperature applications. The half bridge module exhibited good reliability after 250 C and 400 h high temperature storage. Switching characteristics of the AlGaN/GaN HFET were investigated. Qg x Ron, which shows a figure of merit of switching operation, was more than 10 times better than commercial Si MOSFETs. The switching characteristics of the HFET showed no significant degradation up to 225 C.     

High-Temperature Growth of GaN and Al<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript>Ga<Subscript>1−<Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript>N via Ammonia-Based Metalorganic Molecular-Beam Epitaxy

The effect of high-temperature growth on the crystalline quality and surface morphology of GaN and Al _x Ga_1?x N grown by ammonia-based metalorganic molecular-beam epitaxy (NH₃-MOMBE) has been investigated as a means of producing atomically smooth films suitable for device structures. The effects of V/III ratio on the growth rate and surface morphology are described herein. The crystalline quality of both GaN and AlGaN was found to mimic that of the GaN templates, with (002) x-ray diffraction (XRD) full-widths at half- maximum (FWHMs) of ~350 arcsec. Nitrogen-rich growth conditions have been found to provide optimal surface morphologies with a root-mean-square (RMS) roughness of ~0.8 nm, yet excessive N-rich environments have been found to reduce the growth rate and result in the formation of faceted surface pitting. AlGaN exhibits a decreased growth rate, as compared with GaN, due to increased N recombination as a result of the increased pyrolysis of NH₃ in the presence of Al. AlGaN films grown directly on GaN templates exhibited Pendellösung x-ray fringes, indicating an abrupt interface and a planar AlGaN film. AlGaN films grown for this study resulted in an optimal RMS roughness of ~0.85 nm with visible atomic steps.     

AlGaN/GaN界面特性研究进展

GaN是一种宽禁带半导体材料,由于具有优越的热稳定性和化学稳定性,使这种材料和与其相关的器件可以工作在高温和恶劣的环境中,并可用于大功率微波器件。本文主要介绍AlGaN/GaN有关界面特性,该特性反映了纵向纳米尺度下的能带特性;从AlGaN/GaNHEMT设计出发,给出了材料性质和结构参数对AlGaN/GaN异质结二维电子气特性影响的研究结果;讨论了AlGaN/GaN界面2DEG载流子的输运性质;分析了材料缺陷对AlGaN/GaN界面2DEG性质的影响;指出了有待研究的问题和方向。     

GaN HFET digital circuit technology for harsh environments

The first demonstration of GaN digital circuits is reported. First-generation GaN digital technology has already shown high yields for circuits of considerable complexity. Specifically, a 31-stage ring oscillator was implemented using 217 transistors. Properties of the AlGaN/GaN material system that enable outstanding power handling capabilities of GaN heterojunction field effect transistors (HFETs), i.e. large bandgap, high breakdown field and high saturation velocity, also make it attractive for digital applications in harsh environments. Because of these unique material characteristics, GaN digital control circuits have the potential to operate in high radiation environments, at elevated temperatures, and directly from high voltage rails. Successful operation of GaN 31-stage ring oscillators at the highest base-plate temperature attainable by the test setup of 265/spl deg/C, indicates that these circuits can operate at significantly higher temperatures.     

Thermal effects in AlGaN/GaN/Si high electron mobility transistors

Group III-nitride compounds are of increasing interest for designing high power and high temperature transistors. A considerable progress in the growth and process technology of these devices has been achieved. However, there are still limitations concerning particularly the lack of native substrates. Comparison of the AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors investigated favours the SiC substrate. Recently, encouraging results have been reported for AlGaN/GaN/Si. The crucial problem found in AlGaN/GaN transistors operating at high biases is the self-heating induced by high power dissipation in the active zone. The present work reports on a study of the self-heating in AlGaN/GaN HEMTs grown on Si(1 1 1). The electron-band parameters of the heterostructures have been calculated self-consistently by taking into account the piezoelectric and spontaneous polarizations. As an experiment support, direct-current characteristics of AlGaN/GaN/Si HEMTs have been used to derive the drain voltage-dependent temperature rise in the conductive channel. As has been found, the self-heating is relatively weak. An improvement in the electron transport is achieved by optimizing the epilayers and adjusting the electrode sizes at output of the transistors investigated.