• JSTS:Journal of Semiconductor Technology and Science
• /
• 제3권3호
• /
• pp.145-152
• /
• 2003

Electrical gate and drain characteristics of double heterostructure InAlAs/InGaAs pseudomorphic HEMTs have been investigated under sub-bandgap photonic excitation ($hv). Drain $(V_{DS})-,{\;}gate($V_{DS})-$, and optical power($P_{opt}$)-dependent variation of the abnormal gate leakage current and associated physical mechanisms in the PHEMTs have been characterized. Peak gate voltage ($V_{GS,P}$) and the onset voltage for the impact ionization ($V_{GS.II}$) have been extracted and empirical model for their dependence on the $V_{DS}$ and $P_{opt} have been proposed. Anomalous gate and drain current, both under dark and under sub-bandgap photonic excitation, have been modeled as a parallel connection of high performance PHEMT with a poor satellite FET as a parasitic channel. Sub-bandgap photonic characterization, as a function of the optical power with $h\nu=0.799eV$, has been comparatively combined with those under dark condition for characterizing the bell-shaped negative humps in the gate current and subthreshold drain leakage under a large drain bias.

• JSTS:Journal of Semiconductor Technology and Science
• /
• 제14권4호
• /
• pp.478-483
• /
• 2014

We propose a new method which can extract the information about the electronic traps in the semi-insulating GaN buffer of AlGaN/GaN heterostructure field-effect transistors (HFETs) using a simple test structure. The proposed method has a merit in the easiness of fabricating the test structure. Moreover, the electric fields inside the test structure are very similar to those inside the actual transistor, so that we can extract the information of bulk traps which directly affect the current collapse behaviors of AlGaN/GaN HEFTs. By applying the proposed method to the GaN buffer structures with various unintentionally doped GaN channel thicknesses, we conclude that the incorporated carbon into the GaN back barrier layer is the dominant origin of the bulk trap which affects the current collapse behaviors of AlGaN/GaN HEFTs.

• JSTS:Journal of Semiconductor Technology and Science
• /
• 제14권5호
• /
• pp.601-608
• /
• 2014

In this paper, we have characterized the electrical properties related to gate leakage current in AlGaN/GaN MISHFETs with varying the thickness (0 to 10 nm) of $Al_2O_3$ gate insulator which also serves as a surface protection layer during high-temperature RTP. The sheet resistance of the unprotected TLM pattern after RTP was rapidly increased to $1323{\Omega}/{\square}$ from the value of $400{\Omega}/{\square}$ of the as-grown sample due to thermal damage during high temperature RTP. On the other hand, the sheet resistances of the TLM pattern protected with thin $Al_2O_3$ layer (when its thickness is larger than 5 nm) were slightly decreased after high-temperature RTP since the deposited $Al_2O_3$ layer effectively neutralizes the acceptor-like states on the surface of AlGaN layer which in turn increases the 2DEG density. AlGaN/GaN MISHFET with 8 nm-thick $Al_2O_3$ gate insulator exhibited extremely low gate leakage current of $10^{-9}A/mm$, which led to superior device performances such as a very low subthreshold swing (SS) of 80 mV/dec and high $I_{on}/I_{off}$ ratio of ${\sim}10^{10}$. The PF emission and FN tunneling models were used to characterize the gate leakage currents of the devices. The device with 5 nm-thick $Al_2O_3$ layer exhibited both PF emission and FN tunneling at relatively lower gate voltages compared to that with 8 nm-thick $Al_2O_3$ layer due to thinner $Al_2O_3$ layer, as expected. The device with 10 nm-thick $Al_2O_3$ layer, however, showed very high gate leakage current of $5.5{\times}10^{-4}A/mm$ due to poly-crystallization of the $Al_2O_3$ layer during the high-temperature RTP, which led to very poor performances.