On the low frequency noise mechanisms in GaN/AlGaN HFETs

The low frequency noise in GaN/AlGaN heterostructure field effect transistors (HFETs) was studied in the temperature range from 8 to 300 K. At gate biases close to the threshold, the noise came from the device region under the gate, and the Hooge parameter α ch was inversely proportional to n s (α ∼ 1/ n s ) in the entire temperature range. This dependence might be explained by electron tunnelling from the 2D gas into the traps in the adjoining GaN or AlGaN layers. At voltages close to zero, the ungated source-gate and gate-drain regions were responsible for the noise, and the Hooge constant was two orders of magnitude larger. This result is consistent with recent studies of the mechanism of the current collapse in GaN-based FETs. A notable contribution from the generation-recombination noise with activation energy 0.24 eV was observed in the temperature interval from 50 K to 150 K.