Ramya Yeluri

Design, fabrication, and performance analysis of GaN vertical electron transistors with a buried p/n junction

The Current Aperture Vertical Electron Transistor (CAVET) combines the high conductivity of the two dimensional electron gas channel at the AlGaN/GaN heterojunction with better field distribution offered by a vertical design. In this work, CAVETs with buried, conductive p-GaN layers as the current blocking layer are reported. The p-GaN layer was regrown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition and the subsequent channel regrowth was done by ammonia molecular beam epitaxy to maintain the p-GaN conductivity. Transistors with high ON current (10.9 kA/cm2) and low ON-resistance (0.4 mΩ cm2) are demonstrated. Non-planar selective area regrowth is identified as the limiting factor to transistor breakdown, using planar and non-planar n/p/n structures. Planar n/p/n structures recorded an estimated electric field of 3.1 MV/cm, while non-planar structures showed a much lower breakdown voltage. Lowering the p-GaN regrowth temperature improved breakdown in the non-planar n/p/n structure. Combining high breakdown vol...

Fixed charge and trap states of in situ Al2O3 on Ga-face GaN metal-oxide-semiconductor capacitors grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition

In situ Al2O3 on Ga-face GaN metal-oxide-semiconductor capacitors (MOSCAPs) were grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition and measured using capacitance-voltage techniques. The flat band voltage and hysteresis had a linear relationship with Al2O3 thickness, which indicates the presence of fixed charge and trap states that are located at or near the Al2O3/GaN interface. In addition, slow and fast near-interface states are distinguished according to their different electron emission characteristics. Atom probe tomography was used to characterize the in situ MOSCAPs to provide information on the Al/O stoichiometric ratios, Al2O3/GaN interface abruptnesses, and C concentrations. The in situ MOSCAPs with Al2O3 deposited at 700 °C exhibited an order of magnitude higher fast near-interface states density but a lower slow near-interface states density compared with those with Al2O3 deposited at 900 and 1000 °C. Furthermore, the 700 °C MOSCAPs exhibited a net negative fixed near-interface charge, whereas th...

In-situ metalorganic chemical vapor deposition and capacitance-voltage characterizations of Al2O3 on Ga-face GaN metal-oxide-semiconductor capacitors

The in-situ metalorganic chemical vapor deposition of Al2O3 on Ga-face GaN metal-oxide-semiconductor capacitors (MOSCAPs) is reported. Al2O3 is grown using trimethylaluminum and O2 in the same reactor as GaN without breaking the vacuum. The in-situ MOSCAPs are subjected to a series of capacitance-voltage measurements combined with stress and ultraviolet-assisted techniques, and the results are discussed based on the presence of near-interface states with relatively fast and slow electron emission characteristics. The in-situ MOSCAPs with Al2O3 grown at 900 and 1000 °C exhibit very small hystereses and charge trappings as well as average near-interface state densities on the order of 1012 cm−2eV−1.

Very high channel conductivity in ultra-thin channel N-polar GaN/(AlN, InAlN, AlGaN) high electron mobility hetero-junctions grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition

Different back barrier designs comprising of AlN, AlGaN, and InAlN layers are investigated for ultra-thin GaN channel N-polar high-electron-mobility-transistors grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition. A combinational back barrier with both AlGaN and InAlN materials is proposed. The dependence of channel conductivity on channel thickness is investigated for different back barrier designs. The study demonstrated that the back barrier design of AlN/InAlN/AlGaN is capable of retaining high channel conductivity for ultra-scaled channel thicknesses. For devices with 5-nm-thick channel, a sheet resistance of ∼230 Ω/◻ and mobility ∼1400 cm2/V-s are achieved when measured parallel to the multi-step direction of the epi-surface.

Capacitance-voltage characterization of interfaces between positive valence band offset dielectrics and wide bandgap semiconductors

A photo-assisted capacitance voltage (C-V) characterization technique for interfaces between positive valence band offset dielectrics (Al2O3, SiO2) and wide bandgap semiconductors is presented. It is shown that the valence band barrier for holes at the interface affects the measurement and a method to extract border trap and interface state density values from the measured C-V curves is suggested. Dielectric-semiconductor interface characterization has been well studied for silicon but the characterization techniques are not transferable to wide bandgap semiconductors, such as GaN and SiC, due to the low minority carrier generation rate. Multiple dielectrics deposited by various techniques have been employed in these devices; but in order to ascertain the most suitable dielectric, an effective characterization technique that works well with dielectrics on wide-bandgap semiconductors is required.

Interface states at the SiN/AlGaN interface on GaN heterojunctions for Ga and N-polar material

Dielectric passivation is important to improve the stability and reliability of gallium nitride based semiconductor devices. We need to characterize various dielectrics and their interfaces to nitrides accurately to be able to exploit the benefits efficiently. Earlier, B. L. Swenson and U. K. Mishra [J. Appl. Phys. 106, 064902 (2009)] have detailed a photo-assisted high frequency CV characterization technique for the Ga-polar SiN/GaN interface that gives an accurate value of interface state density (Dit) across the bandgap of the dielectric. In this work, we extend the technique to study the interface states at the SiN/AlGaN interface on GaN for Ga and N polar material. This simulates the AlGaN/GaN HEMT structure. A MIS-type structure comprised of a metal on SiN on an AlGaN/GaN heterojunction was used for the study. For a structure with 1 nm AlGaN interlayer, a peak interface state density of 2.8 × 1012 cm−2 eV−1 was measured. For Ga polar devices, the measured Dit decreases with increasing AlGaN thicknes...

Dielectric stress tests and capacitance-voltage analysis to evaluate the effect of post deposition annealing on Al2O3 films deposited on GaN

Systematic stress tests that help to evaluate the stability and dielectric performance of Al2O3 films under DC bias conditions are reported. Capacitance-voltage (C-V) curves were monitored for changes after subjecting the dielectric film to constant forward and reverse bias stress. Stress tests, along with C-V analysis, are used to evaluate the effect of post deposition annealing on Metal-Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition) Al2O3 films deposited on GaN. The individual benefits and drawbacks of each film and anneal condition were identified. These suggest that the anneals can be tailored to the unannealed film characteristics to achieve desired improvements in performance. It is found that post deposition annealing in forming gas improves performance under reverse bias stress by reducing the fixed charge and the field in the oxide but does not improve performance under forward bias.

Enhancement-Mode m-plane AlGaN/GaN Heterojunction Field-Effect Transistors with +3 V of Threshold Voltage Using Al2O3 Deposited by Atomic Layer Deposition

Enhancement-mode m-plane AlGaN/GaN heterojunction field-effect transistors were fabricated with an Al2O3 gate dielectric deposited by atomic layer deposition (ALD). A threshold voltage of +3 V and an on/off ratio of 4×106 were obtained, demonstrating excellent subthreshold region characteristics. These results were achieved using non-polar m-plane GaN, Al2O3 as a gate dielectric, and a recessed-gate structure. The devices exhibited 138 mA/mm of maximum drain–source current at a gate–source voltage (Vgs) of +7 V and 45 mS/mm of maximum transconductance at Vgs=+5 V. The interface state density (Dit) of Al2O3 and m-plane GaN was measured using the photo assisted capacitance–voltage method, showing a Dit of (1–2)×1012 cm-2 eV-1. These results indicate the potential of Al2O3 deposited by ALD on m-plane GaN for power switching devices.

On trapping mechanisms at oxide-traps in Al2O3/GaN metal-oxide-semiconductor capacitors

By means of combined current-voltage and capacitance-voltage sweep and transient measurements, we present the effects of forward-bias stress and charge trapping mechanisms at oxide traps in Al2O3/GaN metal-oxide-semiconductor capacitors grown in-situ by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition. Two main current-voltage regimes have been identified: a low-field regime characterized by low gate-current and low flat-band voltage instabilities, and a high-field regime triggered for oxide field greater than 3.3 MV/cm and characterized by the onset of parasitic leakage current and positive flat-band shift. In the low-voltage regime, gate current transients convey stress/relaxation kinetics based on a power-law, suggesting that tunneling trapping mechanisms occur at near-interface traps aligned with the GaN conduction-band minimum. In the high-voltage regime, devices experience parasitic conduction mechanisms and enhanced charge-trapping at oxide-traps revealed by very slow recovery transients.

Atom probe tomography studies of Al2O3 gate dielectrics on GaN

Atom probe tomography was used to achieve three-dimensional characterization of in situ Al2O3/GaN structures grown by metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). Al2O3 dielectrics grown at three different temperatures of 700, 900, and 1000 °C were analyzed and compared. A low temperature GaN cap layer grown atop Al2O3 enabled a high success rate in the atom probe experiments. The Al2O3/GaN interfaces were found to be intermixed with Ga, N, and O over the distance of a few nm. Impurity measurements data showed that the 1000 °C sample contains higher amounts of C (4 × 1019/cm3) and lower amounts of H (7 × 1019/cm3), whereas the 700 °C sample exhibits lower C impurities (<1017/cm3) and higher H incorporation (2.2 × 1020/cm3). On comparing with Al2O3 grown by atomic layer deposition (ALD), it was found that the MOCVD Al2O3/GaN interface is comparatively abrupt. Scanning transmission electron microscopy data showed that the 900 °C and 1000 °C MOCVD films exhibit polycrystalline nature, while the ALD films...