Adoption of the Wet Surface Treatment Technique for the Improvement of Device Performance of Enhancement-Mode AlGaN/GaN MOSHEMTs for Millimeter-Wave Applications
Chun Wang,
Yu-Chiao Chen,
Heng-Tung Hsu,
Yi-Fan Tsao,
Yueh-Chin Lin,
Chang-Fu Dee,
Edward-Yi Chang
Affiliations
Chun Wang
Department of Material Science Engineering, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, 1001 Tah Hsueh Road, Hsinchu 30010, Taiwan
Yu-Chiao Chen
Department of Electrical Engineering, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, 1001 Tah Hsueh Road, Hsinchu 30010, Taiwan
Heng-Tung Hsu
International College of Semiconductor Technology, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, 1001 Tah Hsueh Road, Hsinchu 30010, Taiwan
Yi-Fan Tsao
International College of Semiconductor Technology, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, 1001 Tah Hsueh Road, Hsinchu 30010, Taiwan
Yueh-Chin Lin
Department of Material Science Engineering, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, 1001 Tah Hsueh Road, Hsinchu 30010, Taiwan
Chang-Fu Dee
Institute of Microengineering and Nanoelectronics (IMEN) Level 4, Research Complex, University Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi 43600, Malaysia
Edward-Yi Chang
Department of Material Science Engineering, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, 1001 Tah Hsueh Road, Hsinchu 30010, Taiwan
In this work, a low-power plasma oxidation surface treatment followed by Al2O3 gate dielectric deposition technique is adopted to improve device performance of the enhancement-mode (E-mode) AlGaN/GaN metal-oxide-semiconductor high-electron-mobility transistors (MOSHEMTs) intended for applications at millimeter-wave frequencies. The fabricated device exhibited a threshold voltage (Vth) of 0.13 V and a maximum transconductance (gm) of 484 (mS/mm). At 38 GHz, an output power density of 3.22 W/mm with a power-added efficiency (PAE) of 34.83% were achieved. Such superior performance was mainly attributed to the high-quality Al2O3 layer with a smooth surface which also suppressed the current collapse phenomenon.
