Improvement of breakdown characteristics of an A1GaN/GaN HEMT with a U-type gate foot for millimeter-wave power application  

作　　者：孔欣 魏珂 刘果果 刘新宇 

机构地区：[1]Microwave Devices and Integrated Circuits Department,Key Laboratory of Microelectronics Device and Integrated Technology,Institute of Microelectronics,Chinese Academy of Sciences,Beijing 100029,China

出　　处：《Chinese Physics B》2012年第12期531-537,共7页中国物理B（英文版）

基　　金：Project supported by the Major Program of the National Natural Science Foundation of China （Grant No. 60890191） and the National Key Basic Research Program of China （Grant No. 2010CB327503）.

摘　　要：In this study, the physics-based device simulation tool Silvaco ATLAS is used to characterize the electrical properties of an AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistor （HEMT） with a U-type gate foot. The U-gate AlGaN/GaN HEMT mainly features a gradually changed sidewall angle, which effectively mitigates the electric field in the channel, thus obtaining enhanced off-state breakdown characteristics. At the same time, only a small additional gate capacitance and decreased gate resistance ensure excellent RF characteristics for the U-gate device. U-gate AlGaN/GaN HEMTs are feasible through adjusting the etching conditions of an inductively coupled plasma system, without introducing any extra process steps. The simulation results are confirmed by experimental measurements. These features indicate that U-gate A1GaN/GaN HEMTs might be promising candidates for use in millimeter-wave power applications.In this study, the physics-based device simulation tool Silvaco ATLAS is used to characterize the electrical properties of an AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistor （HEMT） with a U-type gate foot. The U-gate AlGaN/GaN HEMT mainly features a gradually changed sidewall angle, which effectively mitigates the electric field in the channel, thus obtaining enhanced off-state breakdown characteristics. At the same time, only a small additional gate capacitance and decreased gate resistance ensure excellent RF characteristics for the U-gate device. U-gate AlGaN/GaN HEMTs are feasible through adjusting the etching conditions of an inductively coupled plasma system, without introducing any extra process steps. The simulation results are confirmed by experimental measurements. These features indicate that U-gate A1GaN/GaN HEMTs might be promising candidates for use in millimeter-wave power applications.

关 键 词：AlGaN/GaN HEMT breakdown characteristics millimeter-wave U-type gate foot 

分 类 号：TN32[电子电信—物理电子学]