access icon free High RF performance improvement using surface passivation technique of AlGaN/GaN HEMTs at K-band application

© The Institution of Engineering and Technology
Received 16/04/2013, Published
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A surface passivation technique of high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) devices is reported. The passivated HEMT device has a much higher RF performance of FT and F max than a non-passivated one. The AlGaN/GaN HEMT has a short gate length of 0.15 µm using an E-beam lithography system and very low ohmic contact resistance of 1.3 × 10−6 Ωcm−2 using a rapid thermal processing alloy system. In addition, to protect the active layer from the surface trap, an SiO2 thin film passivation process is applied by the plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition system. The fabricated AlGaN/GaN HEMT exhibits a maximum drain current of 900 mA/mm and a maximum transconductance of 320 mS/mm. In particular, this device produces excellent RF performance of small-signal characteristics, such as a current gain cut-off frequency (fT ) of 55 GHz and maximum oscillation frequencies (f max) of 130 GHz.

Inspec keywords: gallium compounds; chemical vapour deposition; III-V semiconductors; semiconductor thin films; electron beam lithography; aluminium compounds; high electron mobility transistors; wide band gap semiconductors; rapid thermal processing; contact resistance

Other keywords: K-band application; E-beam lithography system; plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition system; thin film passivation process; frequency 55 GHz; frequency 130 GHz; very low ohmic contact resistance; high electron mobility transistor device; small-signal characteristics; size 0.15 mum; SiO2; active layer protection; surface passivation technique; AlGaN-GaN; high RF performance improvement; passivated HEMT device; rapid thermal processing alloy system

Subjects: Other field effect devices; Electrical contacts; Chemical vapour deposition; Lithography (semiconductor technology)

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