Increase in breakdown voltage of AlGaN/GaN HEMTs with a high-k dielectric layer

A two‐dimensional analysis of breakdown characteristics in AlGaN/GaN high‐electron‐mobility transistors (HEMTs) is performed by considering a deep donor and a deep acceptor in a buffer layer. The dependence of an off‐state breakdown voltage on the relative permittivity of the passivation layer ϵr is...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Physica status solidi. A, Applications and materials science Applications and materials science, 2014-04, Vol.211 (4), p.784-787
Main Authors: Hanawa, Hideyuki, Horio, Kazushige
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
AlGaN/GaN HEMT
Aluminum gallium nitrides
Breakdown
breakdown voltage
Dimensional analysis
Electric potential
Gallium nitrides
high-k passivation layer
Insulators
Semiconductor devices
Semiconductors
two-dimensional analysis
Voltage
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Summary:A two‐dimensional analysis of breakdown characteristics in AlGaN/GaN high‐electron‐mobility transistors (HEMTs) is performed by considering a deep donor and a deep acceptor in a buffer layer. The dependence of an off‐state breakdown voltage on the relative permittivity of the passivation layer ϵr is studied. It is shown that as ϵr increases, the off‐state breakdown voltage increases. This is because the electric field at the drain edge of the gate is weakened as ϵr increases. This occurs because in the insulator the applied voltage tends to drop uniformly in general, and hence when the insulator is attached to the semiconductor, the voltage drop along the semiconductor becomes smoother at the drain edge of the gate if ϵr of the insulator is higher and the effect of the insulator becomes more significant. It is concluded that AlGaN/GaN HEMTs with a high‐k passivation layer should have high breakdown voltages.
ISSN:1862-6300
1862-6319
DOI:10.1002/pssa.201300403