Lü Yuan-Jie

High performance AlGaN/GaN HEMTs with AlN/SiNx passivation*

AlGaN/GaN high electron-mobility transistors (HEMTs) with 5 nm AlN passivation by plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD) were fabricated, covered by 50 nm SiNx which was grown by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD). With PEALD AlN passivation, current collapse was suppressed more effectively and the devices show better subthreshold characteristics. Moreover, the insertion of AlN increased the RF transconductance, which lead to a higher cut-off frequency. Temperature dependence of DC characteristics demonstrated that the degradations of drain current and maximum transconductance at elevated temperatures for the AlN/SiNx passivated devices were much smaller compared with the devices with SiNx passivation, indicating that PEALD AlN passivation can improve the high temperature operation of the AlGaN/GaN HEMTs.

Influences of excitation power and temperature on photoluminescence in phase-separated InGaN quantum wells

The photoluminescence (PL) properties of a green and blue light-emitting InGaN/GaN multiple quantum well structure with a strong phase separated into quasi-quantum dots (QDs) and an InGaN matrix in the InGaN epilayer are investigated. The excitation power dependences of QD-related green emissions (PD) and matrix-related blue emissions (PM) in the low excitation power range of the PL peak energy and line-width indicate that at 6 K both PM and PD are dominated by the combined action of Coulomb screening and localized state filling effect. However, at 300 K, PM is dominated by the non-radiative recombination of the carriers in the InGaN matrix, while PD is influenced by the carriers transferred from the shallower QDs to deeper QDs by tunnelling. This is consistent with the excitation power dependence of the PL efficiency for the emission.

Low ohmic contact AlN/GaN HEMTs grown by MOCVD

AlN/GaN high-electron-mobility transistors (HEMTs) on SiC substrates were fabricated by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) and then characterized. An Si/Ti/Al/Ni/Au stack was used to reduce ohmic contact resistance (0.33 Ω·mm) at a low annealing temperature. The fabricated devices exhibited a maximum drain current density of 1.07 A/mm (VGS = 1 V) and a maximum peak extrinsic transconductance of 340 mS/mm. The off-state breakdown voltage of the device was 64 V with a gate—drain distance of 1.9 μm. The current gain extrinsic cutoff frequency fT and the maximum oscillation frequency fmax were 36 and 80 GHz with a 0.25 μm gate length, respectively.

Comparison for the carrier mobility between the III-V nitrides and AlGaAs/GaAs heterostructure field-effect transistors

Using the measured capacitance-voltage curves of Ni/Au Schottky contacts with different areas and the current-voltage characteristics for the AlGaAs/GaAs, AlGaN/AlN/GaN and In0.18 Al0.82N/AlN/GaN heterostructure field-effect transistors (HFETs) at low drain-source voltage, the two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) electron mobility for the prepared HFETs was calculated and analyzed. It was found that there is an obvious difference for the variation trend of the mobility curves between the III–V nitride HFETs and the AlGaAs/GaAs HFETs. In the III–V nitride HFETs, the variation trend for the curves of the 2DEG electron mobility with the gate bias is closely related to the ratio of the gate length to the drain-to-source distance. While the ratio of the gate length to the drain-to-source distance has no effect on the variation trend for the curves of the 2DEG electron mobility with the gate bias in the AlGaAs/GaAs HFETs. The reason is attributed to the polarization Coulomb field scattering in the III–V nitride HFETs.

The influence of the channel electric field distribution on the polarization Coulomb field scattering in AlN/GaN heterostructure field-effect transistors

Based on the measured capacitance-voltage ( C-V ) curves and current-voltage ( I-V ) curves for the prepared differently-sized AlN/GaN heterostructure field-effect transistors (HFETs), the I-V characteristics of the AlN/GaN HFETs were simulated using the quasi-two-dimensional (quasi-2D) model. By analyzing the variation in the electron mobility for the two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) with the channel electric field, it is found that the different polarization charge distribution generated by the different channel electric field distribution can result in different polarization Coulomb field (PCF) scattering. The 2DEG electron mobility difference is mostly caused by the PCF scattering which can reach up to 899.6 cm 2 /(V·s) (sample a), 1307.4 cm 2 /(V·s) (sample b), 1561.7 cm 2 /(V·s) (sample c) and 678.1 cm 2 /(V·s) (sample d), respectively. When the 2DEG sheet density is modulated by the drain-source bias, the electron mobility for samples a, b and c appear to peak with the variation of the 2DEG sheet density, but for sample d, no peak appears and the electron mobility rises with the increase in the 2DEG sheet density.

Determination of the relative permittivity of the AlGaN barrier layer in strained AlGaN/GaN heterostructures ⁄

Using the measured capacitance-voltage curves and the photocurrent spectrum obtained from the Ni Schottky contact on a strained Al0.3Ga0.7N/GaN heterostructure, the value of the relative permittivity of the AlGaN barrier layer was analysed and calculated by self-consistently solving Schrodingers and Poissons equations. It is shown that the calculated values of the relative permittivity are different from those formerly reported, and reverse biasing the Ni Schottky contact has an influence on the value of the relative permittivity. As the reverse bias increases from 0 V to - 3 V, the value of the relative permittivity decreases from 7.184 to 7.093.

Comparison of electrical characteristic between AlN/GaN and AlGaN/GaN heterostructure Schottky diodes

Ni/Au Schottky contacts on AlN/GaN and AlGaN/GaN heterostructures are fabricated. Based on the measured current—voltage and capacitance—voltage curves, the electrical characteristics of AlN/GaN Schottky diode, such as Schottky barrier height, turn-on voltage, reverse breakdown voltage, ideal factor, and the current-transport mechanism, are analyzed and then compared with those of an AlGaN/GaN diode by self-consistently solving Schrodingers and Poissons equations. It is found that the dislocation-governed tunneling is dominant for both AlN/GaN and AlGaN/GaN Schottky diodes. However, more dislocation defects and a thinner barrier layer for AlN/GaN heterostructure results in a larger tunneling probability, and causes a larger leakage current and lower reverse breakdown voltage, even though the Schottky barrier height of AlN/GaN Schottky diode is calculated to be higher that of an AlGaN/GaN diode.

Effects of GaN cap layer thickness on an AlN/GaN heterostructure

In this study, we investigate the effects of GaN cap layer thickness on the two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) electron density and 2DEG electron mobility of AlN/GaN heterostructures by using the temperature-dependent Hall measurement and theoretical fitting method. The results of our analysis clearly indicate that the GaN cap layer thickness of an AlN/GaN heterostructure has influences on the 2DEG electron density and the electron mobility. For the AlN/GaN heterostructures with a 3-nm AlN barrier layer, the optimized thickness of the GaN cap layer is around 4 nm and the strained a-axis lattice constant of the AlN barrier layer is less than that of GaN.

Directly extracting both threshold voltage and series resistance from the conductance—voltage curve of an AlGaN/GaN Schottky diode

An Ni/Au Schottky contact on an AlGaN/GaN heterostructure has been prepared. By using the peak-conductance model, the threshold voltage and the series resistance of the AlGaN/GaN diode are simultaneously extracted from the conductance-voltage (G-V) curve and found to be in good agreement with the ones obtained by using the capacitance-voltage (C-V) curve integration and the plot of dV/d(ln I) versus current I. Thus, a method of directly and simultaneously extracting both the threshold voltage and the series resistance from the conductance-voltage curve for the AlGaN/GaN Schottky diode is developed.An Ni/Au Schottky contact on an AlGaN/GaN heterostructure has been prepared. By using the peak-conductance model, the threshold voltage and the series resistance of the AlGaN/GaN diode are simultaneously extracted from the conductance—voltage (G—V) curve and found to be in good agreement with the ones obtained by using the capacitance—voltage (C—V) curve integration and the plot of dV/d(ln I) versus current I. Thus, a method of directly and simultaneously extracting both the threshold voltage and the series resistance from the conductance—voltage curve for the AlGaN/GaN Schottky diode is developed.

Influence of Ni Schottky contact thickness on two-dimensional electron-gas sheet carrier concentration of strained Al0.3Ga0.7N/GaN heterostructures

Ni/Au Schottky contacts with thicknesses of either 50 A/50 A or 600 A/2000 A were deposited on strained Al0.3Ga0.7N/GaN heterostructures. Using the measured C-V curves and I-V characteristics at room temperature, the calculated density of the two-dimensional electron-gas (2DEG) of the 600 A/2000 A thick Ni/Au Schottky contact is about 9.13 × 1012 cm−2 and that of the 50 A/50 A. thick Ni/Au Schottky contact is only about 4.77 × 1012 cm−2. The saturated current increases from 60.88 to 86.34 mA at a bias of 20 V as the thickness of the Ni/Au Schottky contact increases from 50 A/50 A to 600 A/2000 A. By self-consistently solving Schrodingers and Poissons equations, the polarization charge sheet density of the two samples was calculated, and the calculated results show that the polarization in the AlGaN barrier layer for the thick Ni/Au Schottky contact is stronger than the thin one. Thus, we attribute the results to the increased biaxial tensile stress in the Al0.3 Ga0.7N barrier layer induced by the 600 A/2000 A thick Ni/Au Schottky contact.