Abstract
p-GaN cap layer has been recognized as a commercial technology to manufacture enhanced-mode (E-mode) AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistor (HEMT); however, the difficult activation of Mg doping and etching damage of p-GaN limit the further improvement of device performance. Thus, the more cost-effective cap layer has attracted wide attention in GaN-based HEMT. In this paper, p-type tin monoxide (p-SnO) was firstly investigated as a gate cap to realize E-mode AlGaN/GaN HEMT by both Silvaco simulation and experiment. Simulation results show that by simply adjusting the thickness (50 to 200 nm) or the doping concentration (3 × 1017 to 3 × 1018 cm−3) of p-SnO, the threshold voltage (Vth) of HEMT can be continuously adjusted in the range from zero to 10 V. Simultaneously, the device demonstrated a drain current density above 120 mA mm−1, a gate breakdown voltage (VBG) of 7.5 V and a device breakdown voltage (VB) of 2470 V. What is more, the etching-free AlGaN/GaN HEMT with sputtered p-SnO gate cap were fabricated, and achieved a positive Vth of 1 V, VBG of 4.2 V and VB of 420 V, which confirms the application potential of the p-SnO film as a gate cap layer for E-mode GaN-based HEMT. This work is instructive to the design and manufacture of p-oxide gate cap E-mode AlGaN/GaN HEMT with low cost.
摘要
目前, p-GaN帽层技术是实现增强型GaN基HEMT的主流商用技 术, 但Mg掺杂难激活以及刻蚀损伤等因素限制了器件性能的进一步提 升, 因此高性能、低成本的增强型帽层技术具有重要的研究意义. 本文 采用p型氧化亚锡(p-SnO)代替p-GaN作为栅帽层引入AlGaN/GaN HEMT, 并通过Silvaco器件仿真和实验验证两方面系统研究了器件的 电学性能. 仿真结果显示, 通过简单改变p-SnO的厚度(50–200 nm)或掺 杂浓度(3 × 1017–3 × 1018 cm−3), 可以实现器件阈值电压在0–10 V范围 内连续可调, 同时器件的漏极电流密度超过120 mA mm−1, 栅击穿和器 件击穿电压分别达到7.5和2470 V. 在此基础上, 我们实验制备了基于磁 控溅射p-SnO帽层的AlGaN/GaN HEMT, 未经优化的器件测得了1 V的 阈值电压、4.2 V的栅击穿电压和420 V的器件击穿电压, 证实了p-SnO 薄膜作为增强型GaN基HEMT栅帽层的应用潜力, 为进一步提升增强 型AlGaN/GaN HEMT性能, 同时降低成本奠定了基础.
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Acknowledgements
This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (62003151, 61925404, 62074122, and 61904139) and the Key Research and Development Program in Shaanxi Province (2016KTZDGY-03-01).
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Chen D conceived the idea, designed and guided the simulation calculation and experiment. Yuan P completed most of the calculations and experiments, and wrote the manuscript under Chen D’s guidance. Yan S deposited the p-SnO film under the guidance of Xin Q. Chen D and Zhao S revised the manuscript. Zhang Y and Zhang C contributed to the epitaxial growth of AlGaN/GaN structure and device fabrication. Liu S, Song X, Zhang J, Zhang W, Zhu W, Xi H, and Zhou H helped with the model calibration, device measurement, film characterization, and data analysis. Zhang J and Hao Y supervised the group. All authors read and approved the manuscript.
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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
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Experimental details and supporting data are available in the online version of this paper.
Peng Yuan received his bachelor degree in microelectronics science and engineering from Xidian University in 2019. Now, he is a graduate student in Prof. Chen’s group. His current research interests are concentrating on GaN power electronic devices.
Dazheng Chen obtained his BE and PhD degrees from Xidian University in 2010 and 2015, respectively, and entered the Post-doctoral Research Station of Physics in 2016. In 2018, he joined the School of Microelectronics, Xidian University, and is now an associate professor at the School of Microelectronics. His research interests focus on wide-bandgap semiconductor power devices and photoelectric devices.
Jincheng Zhang (Member, IEEE) received the MS and PhD degrees from Xidian University, Xi’an, China, in 2001 and 2004, respectively. He is currently a professor at Xidian University, Xi’an. His current interests include widebandgap semiconductor GaN and diamond materials and devices.
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Chen, D., Yuan, P., Zhao, S. et al. Wide-range-adjusted threshold voltages for E-mode AlGaN/GaN HEMT with a p-SnO cap gate. Sci. China Mater. 65, 795–802 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40843-021-1838-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40843-021-1838-3