Characterization of Trapping Effects Related to Carbon Doping Level in AlGaN Back-Barriers for AlGaN/GaN HEMTs

The impact of different carbon concentrations in the Al <tex-math notation="LaTeX">0.06</tex-math> Ga <tex-math notation="LaTeX">0.94</tex-math> N graded back-barrier and GaN buffer of high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) is investigated. Four epi-wafers with different carbon concentrations, ranging from 1 <tex-math notation="LaTeX">×</tex-math> 10 <tex-math notation="LaTeX">¹⁷</tex-math> to 5 <tex-math notation="LaTeX">×</tex-math> 10 <tex-math notation="LaTeX">¹⁷</tex-math> cm <tex-math notation="LaTeX">⁻³</tex-math> , were grown by metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). HEMTs with 100 and 200 nm gate lengths were fabricated and characterized with dc, Pulsed-IV, drain current transient spectroscopy (DCTS), and large-signal measurements at 30 GHz. It is shown that the back-barrier effectively prevents buffer-related electron trapping. The highest C-doping provides the best 2DEG confinement, while lower carbon doping levels are beneficial for a high output power and efficiency. A C-doping of 1 <tex-math notation="LaTeX">×</tex-math> 10 <tex-math notation="LaTeX">¹⁷</tex-math> cm <tex-math notation="LaTeX">⁻³</tex-math> offers the highest output power at maximum power added efficiency (PAE) (1.8 W/mm), whereas 3 <tex-math notation="LaTeX">×</tex-math> 10 <tex-math notation="LaTeX">¹⁷</tex-math> cm <tex-math notation="LaTeX">⁻³</tex-math> doping provides the highest PAE ( <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$>$</tex-math> 40%). The C-profiles acquired by using secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS), in combination with DCTS, is used to explain the electron trapping effects. Traps associated with the C-doping in the back-barrier are identified and the bias ranges for the trap activation are discussed. The study shows the importance of considering the C-doping level in the back-barrier of microwave GaN HEMTs for power amplification and generation.