SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING THE SAME

A semiconductor device includes a substrate, a nucleation layer, a buffer layer, first and second nitride-based semiconductor layers, a pair of S/D electrodes, and a gate electrode. The nucleation layer includes a compound which includes a first group III element and is devoid of a second group III element. The buffer layer includes a III-V compound which includes the first and second group III elements. The buffer layer has an element ratio of the first group III element to the second group III element that incrementally increases and then decrementally decreases as a function of a distance within a thickness of the buffer layer. The first nitride-based semiconductor layer is disposed on the buffer layer. The second nitride-based semiconductor layer is disposed on the first nitride-based semiconductor layer. The S/D electrodes and a gate electrode are disposed over the second nitride-based semiconductor layer.