Structure-Dependent Parameter Trade-Off Optimization on R_onC_off and Power Compression of AlGaN/GaN HEMTs for RF...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrical Engineering
• Semiconductor Physics

Background:

• AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) are crucial for radio frequency (RF) switch applications.
• Optimizing the figure-of-merit (RonCoff) and power compression is essential for enhancing HEMT performance in switching modes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the structure-dependent parameter trade-offs affecting RonCoff and power compression in AlGaN/GaN HEMTs.
• To develop a dynamic balancing method for structural parameters to achieve application-specific design rules.

Main Methods:

• Analyzing the impact of gate foot length (Lg_foot), gate cap length (Lg_cap), gate bias resistance (rg), and gate work function metal (Φg) on RonCoff.
• Evaluating the influence of source-drain spacing (Lds) and gate width (Wg) on switching performance.
• Developing a parameter optimization strategy to balance competing performance metrics.

Main Results:

• Reducing RonCoff can be achieved by increasing Lg_foot, decreasing Lg_cap, reducing rg, and using a high work function metal.
• Parameter adjustments for improved RonCoff often negatively impact power compression, indicating a trade-off.
• Source-drain spacing and gate width significantly influence overall switching performance.

Conclusions:

• A method for dynamically balancing structural parameters in AlGaN/GaN HEMTs has been established.
• This research provides crucial design rules for tailoring HEMTs to specific RF switch applications, from high-frequency to high-power demands.
• The findings enable optimized performance by managing the trade-off between RonCoff and power compression.