• Journal of the Institute of Electronics Engineers of Korea SD
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• v.48 no.5
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• pp.1-5
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• 2011

In this paper, we optimize the gate field plate structure to improve breakdown characteristics of AlGaN/GaN HEMT by two-dimensional device simulator. We have simulated using three parameters such as field-plate length, types of insulator, and insulator thickness and thereby we checked change of the electric field distribution and breakdown voltage characteristics. As optimizing field-plate structure, electric fields concentrated near the gate edge and field-plate edge are effectively dispersed. Therefore, avalanche effect is decresed, so breakdown voltage characteristic is increased. As a result breakdown characteristics of optimized gate field-plate structure are increased by about 300% compared to those of the standard structure.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2010.06a
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• pp.337-337
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• 2010

갈륨-질화물 (GaN) 기반의 고 전자 이동도 트랜지스터 (High Electron Mobility Transistor, HEMT)는 GaN의 큰 밴드갭 (3.4~6.2 eV), 높은 항복전계 (Ec~3 MV/cm) 및 높은 전자 포화 속도 (saturation velocity $-107\;cm{\cdot}s-1$) 특성과 AlGaN/GaN 등과 같은 이종접합구조(Heterostructure )로부터 발생하는 높은 면밀도(Sheet Concentration)를 갖는 이차원 전자가스(Two-Dimensional Electron Gas, 2DEG) 채널로 인해 차세대 고출력/고전압 소자로서 각광받고 있다. 하지만 드레인 쪽의 게이트 에지부분에 집중되는 전계로 인한 애벌린치 할복현상(Breakdown)이 발생하는 문제점이 있다. 따라서 AlGaN/GaN HEMT의 항복전압 향상을 위한 방법으로 필드플레이트(Field-Plate) 구조가 많이 사용되고 있다. 본 논문에서는 2D 시뮬레이션을 통한 AlGaN/GaN HEMT의 필드플레이트 구조 최적화를 수행하였다. 이를 위해 ATLASTM 전산모사 프로그램을 이용하여 필드플레이트 길이, 절연체 증류 및 두께에 따른 전류 전압 특성 및 전계 분산효과에 대한 전산모사를 수행하여 그 결과를 비교, 분석 하였다, 이를 바탕으로 기존의 구조에 비해 약 300%이상 향상된 항복전압을 갖는 AlGaN/GaN HEMT의 최적화된 필드 플레이트 구조를 제안하였다.

• Proceedings of the KIEE Conference
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• 2009.07a
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• pp.1227_1228
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• 2009

본 논문에서는 순방향 특성의 열화 없이 항복전압 향상을 위해 플로팅게이트와 필드플레이트를 적용한 AlGaN/GaN HEMTs를 제작하였다. AlGaN/GaN HEMTs에서의 항복전압은 게이트의 하단의 전계분포와 관련이 있다. 제안된 AlGaN/GaN HEMTs의 경우 GaN 층의 공핍영역을 효과적으로 확장시킴으로써 게이트와 드레인 사이의 영역에서의 전계집중을 성공적으로 완화시켰다. 필드플레이트와 플로팅게이트가 모두 적용된 소자의 항복전압이 1106 V인 반면, 필드플레이트만 적용한 소자의 항복전압은 688 V, 플로팅게이트만 적용한 소자의 항복전압은 828 V로 측정되었다.

• Journal of the Institute of Electronics and Information Engineers
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• v.53 no.7
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• pp.11-16
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• 2016

Silicon carbide (SiC) has received significant attention over the past decade because of its high-voltage, high-frequency and high-thermal reliability in devices compared to silicon. Especially, a SiC Schottky barrier diode (SBD) is most often used in low-voltage switching and low on-resistance power applications. However, electric field crowding at the contact edge of SBDs induces early breakdown and limits their performance. To overcome this problem, several edge termination techniques have been proposed. This paper proposes an improvement in the breakdown voltage using a double-field-plate structure in SiC SBDs, and we design, simulate, fabricate, and characterize the proposed structure. The measurement results of the proposed structure, demonstrate that the breakdown voltage can be improved by 38% while maintaining its forward characteristics without any change in the size of the anode contact junction region.

• Proceedings of the KIEE Conference
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• 2015.07a
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• pp.1124-1125
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• 2015

밴드-갭이 큰 반도체는 실리콘에 비하여 다양한 전기 물성 장점을 가져 고주파수 증폭 소자나 차세대 전력 반도체 소자로 각광을 받고 있다. 다양한 와이드 밴드-갭 반도체 중 AlGaN/GaN 이종접합 반도체는 채널의 높은 전도성과 높은 임계 전계로 인하여 우수한 전기적 특성을 가진다. 최근 발전된 수치해석 시뮬레이션을 이용하여 AlGaN/GaN 고전자 이동도 트랜지스터 (high-electron-mobility transistor, HEMT)의 설계연구를 진행하였다. AlGaN 장벽층의 두께가 증가할수록 채널의 전자 면 농도가 증가하도록 설계하였다. 또한 게이트 필드 플레이트 설계를 통하여 AlGaN/GaN HEMT의 역방향 전계 피크를 1개에서 2개로 증가시켜 항복전압을 368 V에서 최대 822 V로 개선하였다. 수렴문제를 개선한 수치해석 시뮬레이션은 RF power AlGaN/GaN HEMT의 설계에 유용하다.

• The Transactions of The Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers
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• v.66 no.4
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• pp.659-665
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• 2017

Power semiconductor devices required the low on-resistance and high breakdown voltage. Wide band-gap materials opened a new technology of the power devices which promised a thin drift layer at an identical breakdown voltage. The diamond had the wide band-gap of 5.5 eV which induced the low power loss, high breakdown capability, low intrinsic carrier generation, and high operation temperature. We investigated the p-type pseudo-vertical diamond Schottky barrier diodes using a numerical simulation. The impact ionization rate was material to calculating the breakdown voltage. We revised the impact ionization rate of the diamond for adjusting the parallel-plane breakdown field at 10 MV/cm. Effects of the field plate on the breakdown voltage was also analyzed. A conventional diamond Schottky barrier diode without field plate exhibited the high forward current of 0.52 A/mm and low on-resistance of $1.71{\Omega}-mm$ at the forward voltage of 2 V. The simulated breakdown field of the conventional device was 13.3 MV/cm. The breakdown voltage of the conventional device and proposed devices with the $SiO_2$ passivation layer, anode field plate (AFP), and cathode field plate (CFP) was 680, 810, 810, and 1020 V, respectively. The AFP cannot alleviate the concentration of the electric field at the cathode edge. The CFP increased the breakdown voltage with evidences of the electric field and potential. However, we should consider the dielectric breakdown because the ideal breakdown field of the diamond is higher than that of the $SiO_2$, which is widely used as the passivation layer. The real breakdown voltage of the device with CFP decreased from 1020 to 565 V due to the dielectric breakdown.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.298-302
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• 2023

In this paper, we discussed the effect of field plate dielectric materials such as silicon dioxide (SiO₂), aluminum oxide (Al₂O₃), and hafnium oxide (HfO₂) on the breakdown characteristics of β-Ga₂O₃ Schottky barrier diodes (SBDs). The breakdown voltage (BV) of the SBDs with a field plate was higher than that of SBDs without a field plate. The higher dielectric constant of HfO₂ contributed to the superior reduction in electric field concentration at the Schottky junction edge from 5.4 to 2.4 MV/cm. The SBDs with HfO₂ field plate showed the highest BV of 720 V, and constant specific on-resistance (R_on,sp) of 5.6 mΩ·cm², resulting in the highest Baliga's figure-of-merit (BFOM) of 92.0 MW/cm². We also investigated the effect of dielectric thickness and field plate length on BV.