Title :
Innovative nitride passivated pseudomorphicGaAs HEMTs
Author :
Chou, Y.C. ; Lai, R. ; Li, G.P. ; Jun Hua ; Nam, P. ; Grundbacher, R. ; Kim, H.K. ; Ra, Y. ; Biedenbender, M. ; Ahlers, E. ; Barsky, M. ; Oki, A. ; Streit, D.
Author_Institution :
TRW Electron. & Technol. Div., Redondo Beach, CA, USA
Abstract :
A novel low-temperature nitride passivation technique using high-density inductively coupled plasma chemical vapor deposition (HD-ICP-CVD) with SiH4/N2 chemistries to passivate 0.15 μm pseudomorphic GaAs HEMTs has been developed for the first time. HD-ICP-CVD nitrides have higher density and lower hydrogen concentration than those of nitrides deposited by plasma-enhanced CVD (PECVD). Furthermore, HD-ICP-CVD passivated devices exhibit better performance in reverse breakdown voltage, transconductance, and cut-off frequency than those of PECVD passivated devices. The results achieved here warrant the applications of HD-ICP-CVD for next-generation nitride passivation in compound semiconductor technologies.
Keywords :
III-V semiconductors; aluminium compounds; gallium arsenide; high electron mobility transistors; indium compounds; microwave field effect transistors; nitridation; passivation; plasma CVD; semiconductor device breakdown; semiconductor device reliability; 0.15 micron; AlGaAs-InGaAs-GaAs; AlGaAs/InGaAs/GaAs HEMTs; GaAs; MMICs; SiH/sub 4/-N/sub 2/; SiH/sub 4//N/sub 2/ chemistries; cut-off frequency; hermeticity; high-density ICP-CVD; hydrogen concentration; low-temperature nitride passivation; next-generation nitride passivation; pseudomorphic GaAs HEMTs; reliability; reverse breakdown voltage; transconductance; Chemical vapor deposition; Gallium arsenide; HEMTs; Hydrogen; MODFETs; Passivation; Plasma applications; Plasma chemistry; Plasma density; Plasma devices;
Journal_Title :
Electron Device Letters, IEEE
DOI :
10.1109/LED.2002.807313
