Effects of forward gate bias stressing on the leakage current of AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors

Gao, Yuan; Sasangka, Wardhana Aji; Thompson, Carl V.; Gan, Chee Lip

doi:10.1016/j.microrel.2019.113432

Cited by 7 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…This underscores the increased vulnerability of ON mode devices due to the simultaneous presence of an electric field and self-heating in the device. During ON mode operation, the creation of a leakage path between the gate and buffer layer [44], caused by the combined effect of irradiation and gate bias stress, results in a significant six-order magnitude increase in reverse current. The barrier height (ϕ bn ) reduced, and the ideality factor (n) increased during both ON and OFF mode operation which are calculated based on thermionic emission equation [45].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of electrical field on the susceptibility of gallium nitride transistors to proton irradiation

Rasel,

Schoell,

Smyth

et al. 2024

J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys.

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Radiation susceptibility of electronic devices is commonly studied as a function of radiation energetics and device physics. Often overlooked is the presence or magnitude of the electrical field, which we hypothesize to play an influential role in low energy radiation. Accordingly, we present a comprehensive study of low-energy proton irradiation on Gallium Nitride High Electron Mobility Transistors (HEMTs), turning the transistor ON or OFF during irradiation. Commercially available GaN HEMTs were exposed to 300 keV proton irradiation at fluences varying from 3.76 x1012 to 3.76x1014 cm-2, and the electrical performance was evaluated in terms of forward saturation current, transconductance, and threshold voltage. The results demonstrate that the presence of an electrical field makes it more susceptible to proton irradiation. The decrease of 12.4% in forward saturation and 19% in transconductance at the lowest fluence in ON mode suggests that both carrier density and mobility are reduced after irradiation. Additionally, a positive shift in threshold voltage (0.32 V and 0.09 V in ON and OFF mode, respectively) indicates the generation of acceptor-like traps due to proton bombardment. HRTEM (High-Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy) and EDS (Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy) analysis reveal significant defects introduction and atom intermixing near AlGaN/GaN interfaces and within the GaN layer after the highest irradiation dose employed in this study. According to in-situ Raman spectroscopy, defects caused by irradiation can lead to a rise in self-heating and a considerable increase in (~ 750 times) thermoelastic stress in the GaN layer during device operation. The findings indicate device engineering or electrical biasing protocol must be employed to compensate for radiation-induced defects formed during proton irradiation to improve device durability and reliability.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of electrical field on the susceptibility of gallium nitride transistors to proton irradiation

Rasel,

Schoell,

Smyth

et al. 2024

J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys.

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“…Known for high transconductance and ease of fabrication, the Schottky gate architecture has been a convenient and popular choice for these devices . However, the Schottky gate is faced with challenges such as high gate leakage and low gate swing. , To solve this problem, an insulating gate, which inserts a high-k dielectric layer between the gate electrode and AlGaN to block the gate current, has attracted increasing attention …”

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confidence: 99%

Improved Gate Stability of Metal–Insulator–Semiconductor-High-Electron-Mobility Transistors with 10 nm Atomic Layer Deposition Al₂O₃ by Tetramethylammonium Hydroxide Wet Treatment

Li,

Zhou,

Xing

et al. 2024

ACS Appl. Electron. Mater.

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We investigated the impact of predeposition surface treatment with a tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH) solution on the performance of recessed gate metal−insulator−semiconductorhigh-electron-mobility transistors (MIS-HEMTs). When applying the forward step stress, gate leakage current of the TMAH-treated device becomes 1 order of magnitude smaller. Step stress tests carried out at various voltages showed a stable threshold voltage with both the reverse gate bias step stress and the off-state drain step stress contributing to the high-quality Al 2 O 3 /AlGaN interfaces. When the temperature was increased to 473 K, the maximum field effective mobility (μ FE ) was improved from 450 to 483 cm 2 /V•s, and on-resistance was improved by ∼6.8%.

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“…It was recently reported that forward gate bias stress can also reduce the effective Schottky barrier height at the metal/AlGaN interface. 12) Insertion of a suitable insulator between the metal gate and AlGaN layer, forming the so-called metalinsulator-semiconductor (MIS) gate structure, can address this problem to a certain extent. [13][14][15][16] However, insulator-semiconductor interfaces are known to harbor undesired interface electron states, which can adversely impact the performance of AlGaN/GaN MISHEMTs via trapping and emission of electrons, leading to threshold voltage (V th ) instabilities.…”

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confidence: 99%

Evidence of reduced interface states in Al₂O₃/AlGaN MIS structures via insertion of ex situ regrown AlGaN layer

Baratov

Kawabata

Urano

et al. 2022

Appl. Phys. Express

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We report on the impact of the 3-nm-thick ex-situ AlGaN regrown layer prior to insulator deposition on the interfacial properties of Al2O3/AlGaN/GaN metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) structures. MIS-capacitors (MIScaps) with regrown AlGaN layer exhibited anomalously excessive threshold voltage shift compared to reference sample without regrown AlGaN, suggesting highly reduced interface states density (Dit). Moreover, MIScaps with regrown AlGaN layer exhibited “spill-over” in the capacitance-voltage (C-V) profiles, further evidencing the improved Al2O3/AlGaN interfaces. Fabricated three-terminal MIS-HEMTs with regrown AlGaN showed less hysteresis in transfer curves, enhanced maximum drain current, and increased linearity over the reference device.

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Effects of forward gate bias stressing on the leakage current of AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors

Cited by 7 publications

References 21 publications

Influence of electrical field on the susceptibility of gallium nitride transistors to proton irradiation

Influence of electrical field on the susceptibility of gallium nitride transistors to proton irradiation

Improved Gate Stability of Metal–Insulator–Semiconductor-High-Electron-Mobility Transistors with 10 nm Atomic Layer Deposition Al₂O₃ by Tetramethylammonium Hydroxide Wet Treatment

Evidence of reduced interface states in Al₂O₃/AlGaN MIS structures via insertion of ex situ regrown AlGaN layer

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Effects of forward gate bias stressing on the leakage current of AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors

Cited by 7 publications

References 21 publications

Influence of electrical field on the susceptibility of gallium nitride transistors to proton irradiation

Influence of electrical field on the susceptibility of gallium nitride transistors to proton irradiation

Improved Gate Stability of Metal–Insulator–Semiconductor-High-Electron-Mobility Transistors with 10 nm Atomic Layer Deposition Al2O3 by Tetramethylammonium Hydroxide Wet Treatment

Evidence of reduced interface states in Al2O3/AlGaN MIS structures via insertion of ex situ regrown AlGaN layer

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Product

Resources

About

Improved Gate Stability of Metal–Insulator–Semiconductor-High-Electron-Mobility Transistors with 10 nm Atomic Layer Deposition Al₂O₃ by Tetramethylammonium Hydroxide Wet Treatment

Evidence of reduced interface states in Al₂O₃/AlGaN MIS structures via insertion of ex situ regrown AlGaN layer