A reliable ECR passivation technique on the 0.1 μm InAlAs/InGaAs HEMT device

We have developed a reliable nitride passivation technique on the 0.1×50 μm InAlAs/InGaAs/InP high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) using electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition (CVD). The nitride film was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The stress in the film was measured from wafer curvature. The ECR SiN passivation has almost no effect on the noise and gain performance of 0.1 μm InP-HEMTs at 60 GHz. DC accelerated life tests were performed at base temperatures of 225°C and 245°C. The Median-Time-To-Failure (MTF) based upon a failure criterion of g_m=-20% leads to an Arrhenius plot with an activation energy of 1.6 eV and a projected life of 10⁶ hours at 150°C base plate temperature, which is the best median life time ever reported for passivated InP-HEMTs