Transport properties of the advancing interface ohmic contact to AlGaN/GaN heterostructures

The transport properties of the advancing interface ohmic contact to AlGaN/GaN heterostructure field-effect transistors have been investigated. We found that carrier transport across the AlGaN barrier layer is dominated by the tunneling of electrons that originate from the two-dimensional electron gas located at the AlGaN/GaN interface. The observed temperature dependence of the specific contact resistivity is different from that of the contact on highly doped bulk semiconductors, although tunneling current dominates the carrier transport in both cases.