On the resolution of the mechanism for reverse gate leakage in AlGaN/GaN HEMTs

We provide following important clues for resolving the reverse gate leakage mechanism in AlGaN/GaN high-electron mobility transistors (HEMTs), based on two-dimensional (2-D) simulation and analysis. First, measurement of the gate current-voltage, I_G-V_G, characteristics on devices having different gate structures, passivation layers and interface charges, can reveal the field sensitivity of this mechanism. Second, of the different mechanisms proposed so far, namely - direct tunneling (DT), direct tunneling through a thin surface barrier (DTTSB) and trap-assisted tunneling (TT), DT/DTTSB is sensitive to the 2-D field, while the TT is not. Finally, the DT/DTTSB mechanism appears unlikely, since its 2-D calculations fit the measured I_G-V_G shape, only if we assume a physically unrealistic voltage-variable charge at the interface and/or the TSB layer.