Al/sub 0.3/Ga/sub 0.7/As/In/sub x/Ga/sub 1-x/As (0/spl les/x/spl les/0.25) doped-channel field-effect transistors (DCFET's)

The properties of both lattice-matched and strained doped-channel field-effect transistors (DCFET's) have been investigated in AlGaAs/In/sub x/Ga/sub 1-x/As (0/spl les/x/spl les/0.25) heterostructures with various indium mole fractions. Through electrical characterization of grown layers in conjunction with the dc and microwave device characteristics, we observed that the introduction of a 150-/spl Aring/ thick strained In/sub 0.15/Ga/sub 0.85/As channel can enhance device performance, compared to the lattice-matched one. However, a degradation of device performance was observed for larger indium mole fractions, up to x=0.25, which is associated with strain relaxation in this highly strained channel. DCFET's also preserved a more reliable performance after biased-stress testings.<>     

Performance improvement in tensile-strained In/sub 0.5/Al/sub 0.5/As/In/sub x/Ga/sub 1-x/As/In/sub 0.5/Al/sub 0.5/As metamorphic HEMT

This paper proposes a In/sub 0.5/Al/sub 0.5/As/In/sub x/Ga/sub 1-x/As/In/sub 0.5/Al/sub 0.5/As (x=0.3-0.5-0.3) metamorphic high-electron mobility transistor with tensile-strained channel. The tensile-strained channel structure exhibits significant improvements in dc and RF characteristics, including extrinsic transconductance, current driving capability, thermal stability, unity-gain cutoff frequency, maximum oscillation frequency, output power, power gain, and power added efficiency.     

High breakdown voltage (Al/sub 0.3/Ga/sub 0.7/)/sub 0.5/In/sub 0.5/P/InGaAs quasi-enhancement-mode pHEMT with field-plate technology

A high breakdown voltage and a high turn-on voltage (Al/sub 0.3/Ga/sub 0.7/)/sub 0.5/In/sub 0.5/P/InGaAs quasi-enhancement-mode (E-mode) pseudomorphic HEMT (pHEMTs) with field-plate (FP) process is reported for the first time. Between gate and drain terminal, the transistor has a FP metal of 1 /spl mu/m, which is connected to a source terminal. The fabricated 0.5/spl times/150 /spl mu/m/sup 2/ device can be operated with gate voltage up to 1.6 V owing to its high Schottky turn-on voltage (V/sub ON/=0.85 V), which corresponds to a high drain-to-source current (I/sub ds/) of 420 mA/mm when drain-to-source voltage (V/sub ds/) is 3.5 V. By adopting the FP technology and large barrier height (Al/sub 0.3/Ga/sub 0.7/)/sub 0.5/In/sub 0.5/P layer design, the device achieved a high breakdown voltage of -47 V. The measured maximum transconductance, current gain cutoff frequency and maximum oscillation frequency are 370 mS/mm, 22 GHz , and 85 GHz, respectively. Under 5.2-GHz operation, a 15.2 dBm (220 mW/mm) and a 17.8 dBm (405 mW/mm) saturated output power can be achieved when drain voltage are 3.5 and 20 V. These characteristics demonstrate that the field-plated (Al/sub 0.3/Ga/sub 0.7/)/sub 0.5/In/sub 0.5/P E-mode pHEMTs have great potential for microwave power device applications.     

Avalanche noise characteristics of single Al/sub x/Ga/sub 1-x/As(0.3

Groves  C. Chia  C.K. Tozer  R.C. David  J.P.R. Rees  G.J. 《Quantum Electronics, IEEE Journal of》2005,41(1):70-75

Negative differential resistance of GaAs/Al/sub x/Ga/sub 1-x/As multiquantum well structures under high power photoexcitation: structure optimisation for an oscillator

A study is presented of the photocurrent behaviour of p-i-n diodes having GaAs/Al/sub x/Ga/sub 1-x/As MQW absorption regions for varying incident power, incident wavelength and barrier height, given by the Al fraction x. Optimum results for applications in high power oscillators are expected to be obtained for 0.1>     

Double heterojunction bipolar transistor in Al/sub x/Ga/sub 1-x/As/GaAs/sub 1-y/Sb/sub y/ system

Double heterojunction bipolar transistors based on the Al/sub x/Ga/sub 1-x/As/GaAs/sub 1-y/Sb/sub y/ system are examined. The base layer consists of narrow band gap GaAs/sub 1-y/Sb/sub y/ and the emitter and collector consist of wider band gap Al/sub x/Ga/sub 1-x/As. Preliminary experimental results show that AlGaAs/GaAsSb/GaAs DHBTs exhibit a current gain of five and a maximum collector current density of 5*10/sup 4/ A/cm/sup 2/.<>     

A novel InGaP/Al/sub x/Ga/sub 1-x/As/GaAs CEHBT

A new and interesting InGaP/Al/sub x/Ga/sub 1-x/As/GaAs composite-emitter heterojunction bipolar transistor (CEHBT) is fabricated and studied. Based on the insertion of a compositionally linear graded Al/sub x/Ga/sub 1-x/As layer, a near-continuous conduction band structure between the InGaP emitter and the GaAs base is developed. Simulation results reveal that a potential spike at the emitter/base heterointerface is completely eliminated. Experimental results show that the CEHBT exhibits good dc performances with dc current gain of 280 and greater than unity at collector current densities of J/sub C/=21kA/cm/sup 2/ and 2.70/spl times/10/sup -5/ A/cm/sup 2/, respectively. A small collector/emitter offset voltage /spl Delta/V/sub CE/ of 80 meV is also obtained. The studied CEHBT exhibits transistor action under an extremely low collector current density (2.7/spl times/10/sup -5/ A/cm/sup 2/) and useful current gains over nine decades of magnitude of collector current density. In microwave characteristics, the unity current gain cutoff frequency f/sub T/=43.2GHz and the maximum oscillation frequency f/sub max/=35.1GHz are achieved for a 3/spl times/20 /spl mu/m/sup 2/ device. Consequently, the studied device shows promise for low supply voltage and low-power circuit applications.     

Effect of strain on microwave noise characteristics in In/sub 0.52/Al/sub 0.48/As/In/sub x/Ga/sub 1-x/As (0.53

Chough  K.B. Hong  W.-P. Florez  L. Song  J.I. 《Electronics letters》1993,29(15):1338-1340

Ultralow leakage In/sub 0.53/Ga/sub 0.47/As p-i-n photodetector grown on linearly graded metamorphic In/sub x/Ga/sub 1-x/P buffered GaAs substrate

A novel top-illuminated In/sub 0.53/Ga/sub 0.47/As p-i-n photodiodes (MM-PINPD) grown on GaAs substrate by using linearly graded metamorphic In/sub x/Ga/sub 1-x/P (x graded from 0.49 to 1) buffer layer is reported. The dark current, optical responsivities, noise equivalent power, and operational bandwidth of the MM-PINPD with aperture diameter of 60 /spl mu/m are 13 pA, 0.6 A/W, 3.4/spl times/10/sup -15/ W/Hz/sup 1/2/, and 7.5 GHz, respectively, at 1550 nm. The performances of the MM-PINPD on GaAs are demonstrated to be comparable to those of a similar device made on InGaAs-InP substrate.     

BCB-bridged distributed wideband SPST switch using 0.25-/spl mu/m In/sub 0.5/Al/sub 0.5/As--In/sub 0.5/Ga/sub 0.5/As metamorphic HEMTs

In/sub 0.5/Al/sub 0.5/As--In/sub 0.5/Ga/sub 0.5/As metamorphic high-electron mobility transistor (mHEMT) dc-30 GHz distributed single-pole-single through (SPST) switches were designed and fabricated using the low-/spl kappa/ benzocyclobutene (BCB) bridged technology. The current gain cutoff frequency, and the electron transit time of In/sub 0.5/Al/sub 0.5/As--In/sub 0.5/Ga/sub 0.5/As mHEMTs have been investigated. By analyzing the extrinsic total delay time, the effective velocity of electrons can be estimated, and the average velocity is 2.3/spl times/10/sup 7/cm/s. The dc-30 GHz distributed wideband SPST switch exhibits an insertion loss of less than 5.5 dB, and an isolation larger than 30 dB, which is the first demonstration of the high-isolation of InAlAs-InGaAs mHEMTs monolithic switch. As to the power performance, this switch can handle the power up to 12 dBm at 2.4 GHz. After over 250 h of 85-85 (temperature =85/spl deg/C, humidity =85%) environmental evaluation, this BCB passivated and bridged microwave and monolithic integrated circuit switch demonstrates reliable RF characteristics without any significant performance change, which proves that this process using the low-/spl kappa/ BCB layer is attractive for millimeter-wave circuit applications.     

Low-temperature MBE-grown In/sub 0.52/Ga/sub 0.18/Al/sub 0.30/As/InP optical waveguides

The MBE growth of In/sub 0.52/Ga/sub 0.18/Al/sub 0.30/As ( lambda /sub g/=1.06 mu m) layers in the temperature range of 400-450 degrees C was demonstrated to give high-quality optical waveguides which not only exhibit low propagation losses as low as 0.5 dB/cm at lambda =1.55 mu m but concomitantly high resistivity of >10/sup 4/ Omega cm. The refractive index of In/sub 0.52/Ga/sub 0.18/Al/sub 0.30/As was estimated to be 3.207+or-0.03 at lambda =1.55 mu m.<>     

A new Pd-oxide-Al/sub 0.3/Ga/sub 0.7/As MOS hydrogen sensor

A new and interesting Pd-oxide-Al/sub 0.3/Ga/sub 0.7/As MOS hydrogen sensor has been fabricated and studied. The steady-state and transient responses with different hydrogen concentrations has been measured at various temperatures. Based on the large Schottky barrier height and presence of oxide layer, the studied device exhibits a high hydrogen detection sensitivity and wide temperature operating regime. The studied device exhibits the low-leakage current and obvious current changes when exposed to hydrogen-contained gas. Even at room temperature, a very high hydrogen detection sensitivity of 155.9 is obtained when a 9090 ppm H/sub 2//air gas is introduced. Furthermore, when exposed to hydrogen-contained gas at 95/spl deg/C, both the forward and reverse currents are substantially increased with increased hydrogen concentration. In other words, the studied device can be used as a hydrogen sensor under the applied bidirectional bias. Under the applied voltage of 0.35 V and 9090 ppm H/sub 2//air hydrogen ambient, a fast adsorption response time about 10 s is found. The transient and steady-state characteristics of hydrogen adsorption are also investigated.     

Room-temperature self-organised In/sub 0.5/Ga/sub 0.5/As quantum dot laser on silicon

The first room-temperature operation of In/sub 0.5/Ga/sub 0.5/As quantum dot lasers grown directly on Si substrates with a thin (/spl les/2 /spl mu/m) GaAs buffer layer is reported. The devices are characterised by J/sub th//spl sim/1500 A/cm/sup 2/, output power >50 mW, and large T/sub 0/ (244 K) and constant output slope efficiency (/spl ges/0.3 W/A) in the temperature range 5-95/spl deg/C.     

Microwave performance of 0.4 mu m gate metamorphic In/sub 0.29/Al/sub 0.71/As/In/sub 0.3/Ga/sub 0.7/As HEMT on GaAs substrate

MBE grown metamorphic In/sub 0.29/Al/sub 0.71/As/In/sub 0.3/Ga/sub 0.7/As/GaAs high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) have been successfully fabricated. A 0.4 mu m triangular gate device showed transconductance as high as 700 mS/mm at a current density of 230 mA/mm. The measured f/sub T/ was 45 GHz and f/sub max/ was 115 GHz. These high values are, to the authors knowledge, the first reported for submicrometre metamorphic InAlAs/InGaAs/GaAs HEMTs with an indium content of 30%.<>     

MESFET-like transferred-electron devices in In/sub 0.53/Ga/sub 0.47/As

In/sub 0.53/Ga/sub 0.47/As transferred-electron devices with Schottky-gate electrodes were fabricated. These devices can be used in optoelectronic circuits on InP or as millimetre wave oscillators. For the realisation of the gate electrode several enhancement layers were tested to increase the Schottky barrier height on In/sub 0.53/Ga/sub 0.47/As. The triggering of single dipole domains in the device was demonstrated.<>     

Characteristics of In/sub 0.425/Al/sub 0.575/As-InxGa/sub 1-x/As metamorphic HEMTs with pseudomorphic and symmetrically graded channels

In/sub 0.425/Al/sub 0.575/As-In/sub x/Ga/sub 1-x/As metamorphic high electron mobility transistors (MHEMTs) with two different channel designs, grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) system, have been successfully investigated. Comprehensive dc and high-frequency characteristics, including the extrinsic transconductance, current driving capability, device linearity, pinch-off property, gate-voltage swing, breakdown performance, unity-gain cutoff frequency, max. oscillation frequency, output power, and power gain, etc., have been characterized and compared. In addition, complete parametric information of the small-signal device model has also been extracted and discussed for the pseudomorphic channel MHEMT (PC-MHEMT) and the V-shaped symmetrically graded channel MHEMT (SGC-MHEMT), respectively.     

Highly linear Al/sub 0.3/Ga/sub 0.7/N-Al/sub 0.05/Ga/sub 0.95/N-GaN composite-channel HEMTs

We report an Al/sub 0.3/Ga/sub 0.7/N-Al/sub 0.05/Ga/sub 0.95/N-GaN composite-channel HEMT with enhanced linearity. By engineering the channel region, i.e., inserting a 6-nm-thick AlGaN layer with 5% Al composition in the channel region, a composite-channel HEMT was demonstrated. Transconductance and cutoff frequencies of a 1 /spl times/100 /spl mu/m HEMT are kept near their peak values throughout the low- and high-current operating levels, a desirable feature for linear power amplifiers. The composite-channel HEMT exhibits a peak transconductance of 150 mS/mm, a peak current gain cutoff frequency (f/sub T/) of 12 GHz and a peak power gain cutoff frequency (f/sub max/) of 30 GHz. For devices grown on sapphire substrate, maximum power density of 3.38 W/mm, power-added efficiency of 45% are obtained at 2 GHz. The output third-order intercept point (OIP3) is 33.2 dBm from two-tone measurement at 2 GHz.     

High-performance, metamorphic In/sub x/Ga/sub 1-x/As tunnel diodes grown by molecular beam epitaxy

Thin In/sub x/Ga/sub 1-x/As tunnel junction diodes having compositions from x=0.53 to 0.75 that span a range of bandgap energies from 0.74 to 0.55 eV, were grown on InP and metamorphic, step-graded In/sub x/Al/sub 1-x/As/InP substrates using molecular beam epitaxy and evaluated in the context of thermophotovoltaic (TPV) applications. Both carbon and beryllium were investigated as acceptor dopants. Metamorphic tunnel diodes with a bandgap of 0.60 eV (x=0.69) using carbon acceptor doping displayed highest peak current densities, in excess of 5900 A/cm/sup 2/ at a peak voltage of 0.31 V, within a 200 /spl Aring/ total thickness tunnel junction. Identically doped lattice-matched tunnel diodes with a bandgap of 0.74 eV exhibited lower peak current densities of approximately 2200 A/cm/sup 2/ at a higher peak voltage of 0.36 V, consistent with the theoretical bandgap dependence expected for ideal tunnel diodes. Specific resistivities of the 0.60 eV bandgap devices were in the mid-10/sup -5/ /spl Omega/-cm/sup 2/ range. Together with their 200 /spl Aring/ total thickness, the electrical results make these tunnel junctions promising for TPV applications where low-resistance, thin metamorphic tunnel junctions are desired.     

Turn-on voltage investigation of GaAs-based bipolar transistors with Ga/sub 1-x/In/sub x/As/sub 1-y/N/sub y/ base layers

The fundamental lower limit on the turn on voltage of GaAs-based bipolar transistors is first established, then reduced with the use of a novel low energy-gap base material, Ga/sub 1-x/In/sub x/As/sub 1-y/N/sub y/. InGaP/GaInAsN DHBTs (x/spl sim/3y/spl sim/0.01) with high p-type doping levels (/spl sim/3/spl times/10/sup 19/ cm/sup -3/) and dc current gain (/spl beta//sub max//spl sim/68 at 234 /spl Omega///spl square/) are demonstrated. A reduction in the turn-on voltage over a wide range of practical base sheet resistance values (100 to 400 /spl Omega///spl square/) is established relative to both GaAs BJTs and conventional InGaP/GaAs HBTs with optimized base-emitter interfaces-over 25 mV in heavily doped, high dc current gain samples. The potential to engineer turn-on voltages comparable to Si- or InP-based bipolar devices on a GaAs platform is enabled by the use of lattice matched Ga/sub 1-x/In/sub x/As/sub 1-y/N/sub y/ alloys, which can simultaneously reduce the energy-gap and balance the lattice constant of the base layer when x/spl sim/3y.     

Investigation of the impact of Al mole-fraction on the consequences of RF stress on Al/sub x/Ga/sub 1-x/N/GaN MODFETs

Variations of the low-frequency noise (LFN), power, and dc characteristics of a variety of SiN/sub x/ passivated AlGaN/GaN MODFETs with different values of Al mole-fraction, gate length, and gate drain spacing upon RF stress are investigated. It is experimentally evidenced that the variation of Al mole-fraction (x) of the barrier Al/sub x/Ga/sub 1-x/N layer from 0.2 to 0.4, has no considerable impact on the drain and gate low-frequency noise current characteristics. The most noticeable variation on the device characteristics upon long-term RF stressing has been on the pinch-off voltage. Although no material degradation by increasing the Al mole-fraction has been evidenced through the low-frequency noise data, it is observed that the variation of pinch-off voltage upon RF stressing becomes more important as the Al mole-fraction increases.