Reduction of Flicker Noise in AlGaN/GaN-Based HFETs After High Electric-Field Stress

• Published in: IEEE electron device letters Vol. 32; no. 11; pp. 1513 - 1515
• Main Authors: Congyong Zhu, Kayis, C., Mo Wu, Xing Li, Fan Zhang, Avrutin, V., Ozgur, Umit, Morkoc, H.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY IEEE 01-11-2011; Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers; The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE)
• Subjects: AlGaN/GaN; Aluminum gallium nitride; Aluminum gallium nitrides; Applied sciences; Devices; Electronics; Evolution; Exact sciences and technology; Flicker; Gallium nitride; gate lag; Gates; generation-recombination (G-R); HEMTs; heterostructure field-effect transistors (HFETs); hot-electron stress; Logic gates; MODFETs; Noise; Noise levels; noise measurement; reliability; Semiconductor electronics. Microelectronics. Optoelectronics. Solid state devices; Stress; Stresses; Transistors; traps; Ternary compound; Surface charge; Binary compound; Electric stress; Aluminium nitride; hot-electron stress; 1/f noise; Noise measurement; Gallium nitride; III-V compound; AlGaN/GaN; Noise spectrum; traps; Direct current; heterostructure field-effect transistors (HFETs); High field; Hot electron; Heterojunction field effect transistor; gate lag; generation-recombination (G-R); Reliability; Activation energy
• ISSN: 0741-3106; 1558-0563
• DOI: 10.1109/LED.2011.2163921

We report on the evolution of AlGaN/GaN-based heterojunction field-effect transistor (HFET) operation under high-electric-field stress. Specifically, a 10 ~ 15 dB decrease in the flicker noise is observed after stress in contrast with what has been nominally observed and reported in the literature in the realm of direct-current characteristics. Gate lag measurements revealed a trap state with an activation energy of 0.20 eV in the pristine devices, which manifests itself as a generation-recombination peak in the flicker noise spectrum. This trap state becomes undetectable in gate lag and noise measurements after high-field stress. Analysis shows that the phenomena observed are consistent with the change of surface charge profile during high-electric-field stress.