Study of AlGaN/GaN High‐Electron‐Mobility Transistors on Si Substrate with Thick Copper‐Metallized Interconnects for Ka‐Band Applications

• Published in: Physica status solidi. A, Applications and materials science Vol. 220; no. 8
• Main Authors: Lee, Ming-Wen, Lin, Yueh-Chin, Lai, Kuan-Hsien, Weng, You-Chen, Hsu, Heng-Tung, Chang, Edward Yi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Weinheim Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01-04-2023
• Subjects: AlGaN/GaN high-electron-mobility transistors; Aluminum gallium nitrides; Barrier layers; Copper; copper metallizations; Diffusion barriers; Diffusion layers; Gallium nitrides; High electron mobility transistors; Interconnections; Ka band; Metallizing; platinum; Semiconductor devices; Si substrates; Silicon substrates; Thermal stability
• ISSN: 1862-6300; 1862-6319
• DOI: 10.1002/pssa.202200536

Herein, the AlGaN/GaN high‐electron‐mobility transistors (HEMTs) on silicon substrates using thick copper‐metallized interconnects with Pt diffusion barrier layer for Ka‐band application are reported. High output power density of 6.6 W mm−1 with power‐added efficiency (PAE) of 45.6% at 28 GHz is achieved for the 4 × 50 μm device in continuous‐wave (CW) mode. No obvious change in the drain–source current (I
DS) is observed for the device under 40 V high‐voltage stress for 100 h and the device shows good thermal stability when annealed at 300 °C for 30 min. It demonstrates that the AlGaN/GaN HEMTs on silicon substrate with thick copper‐metallized interconnects can enhance the device performance with good reliability for future 5 G applications.
AlGaN/GaN high‐electron‐mobility transistors (HEMTs) on Si substrates with thick Cu‐metallized interconnects using Pt as the diffusion barrier are demonstrated. High‐voltage stress and high thermal stability tests of the designed devices are performed to study and demonstrate the potential for Ka‐band applications.