Enhancement-mode devices are in the centre of current research on group-III nitride transistors. The realisation of high-performance enhancement-mode transistors via gate recessing requires damage-free processing. We report on enhancement-mode AlGaN/GaN-on-Si heterostructure field-effect transistors (HFETs) fabricated with a damage-free digital etch technique. The threshold voltage (Vth) achieved is as high as +0.5 V. For AlGaN/GaN-on-Si HFETs, a record extrinsic transconductance (gm) of 420 mS/mm and a record maximum drain current Idmax of 500 mA/mm have been demonstrated. Furthermore, proper turn-off characteristics have been realised. Pulsed I–V characteristics reveal nearly no current collapse.

We report on AlInGaN/GaN heterostructure field effect transistors (HFETs) and the effect of different barrier material compositions. The analytical model for the interface charge in quaternary nitride heterostructures is described in detail and is applied in the calculation of the expected sheet carrier density. Experimental results from different lattice-matched AlInGaN/GaN heterostructures are presented and compared with the analytical predictions. Three heterostructures with AlInGaN barriers grown on sapphire substrates were processed and have been investigated. Each barrier layer was lattice-matched to GaN and the gallium content was 0.1, 0.15 and 0.2 at a barrier thickness of 13.5, 12.8 and 11.3 nm, respectively. Additionally, from these experiments, the basic trends for quaternary nitride Schottky barrier contacts are discussed. Finally, comprehensive dc characterizations have been performed. All devices had a gate length of 1 μm and exhibited a good transconductance of around 260 mS mm −1 at nearly the same current density level. An increase in threshold voltage as well as a decrease in gate leakage current for increasing GaN content has been observed. The nearly constant electron mobility in the range of 1700 cm 2 V −1 s −1 at room temperature is within the best reported so far for HFETs with InN-containing barriers.

Group III nitride heterostructures with low polarization difference recently moved into the focus of research for realization of enhancement-mode (e-mode) transistors. Quaternary AlInGaN layers as barriers in GaN-based high-electron-mobility transistors (HEMTs) offer the possibility to perform polarization engineering, which allows control of the threshold voltage over a wide range from negative to positive values by changing the composition and strain state of the barrier. Tensile-strained AlInGaN layers with high Al contents generate high two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) densities, due to the large spontaneous polarization and the contributing piezoelectric polarization. To lower the 2DEG density for e-mode HEMT operation, the polarization difference between the barrier and the GaN buffer has to be reduced. Here, two different concepts are discussed. The first is to generate compressive strain with layers having high In contents in order to induce a positive piezoelectric polarization compensating the large negative spontaneous polarization. Another novel approach is a lattice-matched Ga-rich AlInGaN/GaN heterostructure with low spontaneous polarization and improved crystal quality as strain-related effects are eliminated. Both concepts for e-mode HEMTs are presented and compared in terms of electrical performance and structural properties.

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