Progress in Novel Oxides for Gate Dielectrics and Surface Passivation of GaN/AlGaN Heterostructure Field Effect Transistors

Both MgO and $Sc_2O_3$ are shown to provide low interface state densities (in the $10^{11}{\;}eV^{-1}{\;}cm{\;}^{-2}$ range)on n-and p-GaN, making them useful for gate dielectrics for metal-oxide semiconductor(MOS) devices and also as surface passivation layers to mitigate current collapse in GaN/AlGaN high electron mobility transistors(HEMTs).Clear evidence of inversion has been demonstrated in gate-controlled MOS p-GaN diodes using both types of oxide. Charge pumping measurements on diodes undergoing a high temperature implant activation anneal show a total surface state density of $~3{\;}{\times}{\;}10^{12}{\;}cm^{-2}$. On HEMT structures, both oxides provide effective passivation of surface states and these devices show improved output power. The MgO/GaN structures are also found to be quite radiation-resistant, making them attractive for satellite and terrestrial communication systems requiring a high tolerance to high energy(40MeV) protons.