Challenges and Opportunities for High-Power and High-Frequency AlGaN/GaN High-Electron-Mobility Transistor (HEMT)...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrical Engineering
• Semiconductor Physics

Background:

• Gallium nitride (GaN) high-electron-mobility transistors (HEMTs) offer superior high-power and high-frequency performance compared to silicon-based technologies.
• Despite their advantages, AlGaN/GaN HEMTs face limitations due to parasitic effects and reliability concerns.
• These challenges hinder the full potential of GaN HEMT devices in advanced electronic applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review recent experimental findings on parasitic issues affecting AlGaN/GaN HEMTs.
• To provide a comprehensive overview of the challenges encountered during HEMT fabrication and operation.
• To discuss effective methods for enhancing the performance of these devices.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of experimental evidence on AlGaN/GaN HEMT parasitic issues.
• Analysis of fabrication challenges including normally-on operation, self-heating, current collapse, electric field distribution, gate leakage, and contact resistance.
• Synthesis of approaches to mitigate identified performance limitations.

Main Results:

• Detailed examination of parasitic phenomena impacting AlGaN/GaN HEMT performance.
• Identification of key challenges such as normally-on operation, self-heating, current collapse, gate leakage, and high ohmic contact resistance.
• Compilation of experimental data illustrating the effects of these parasitic issues.

Conclusions:

• Parasitic effects significantly limit the performance and reliability of AlGaN/GaN HEMTs.
• Addressing challenges like normally-on operation and self-heating is crucial for device optimization.
• Various strategies exist to enhance GaN HEMT performance, paving the way for next-generation power electronics.