Output power enhancement in AlGaN/GaN heterostructure field-effect transistors with multilevel metallization

To improve wafer utilization efficiency and heat dissipation performance, this paper proposes multilevel metallization-structured, lateral-type AlGaN/GaN heterostructure field-effect transistors (HFETs) on a 150 mm Si substrate using photosensitive polyimide (PSPI) as the intermetal dielectric layer. The maximum drain current of the HFETs is 46.3 A, which is 240% higher than that of conventional AlGaN/GaN HFETs with the same die size. Furthermore, the drain current drop of the HFETs under high-bias operation is reduced from 14.07 to 8.09%, as compared to that of conventional HFETs.