Demonstration of ultrawide bandgap AlN monolithic bidirectional switch

This work reports the demonstration of ultrawide bandgap (UWBG) aluminum nitride (AlN)-based monolithic bidirectional switch (MBDS) using dual-gate AlN metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistor on single-crystal AlN substrate. The four operation modes of the AlN MBDS were demonstrated and comprehensively characterized, including bidirectional conducting and blocking modes and unidirectional forward and reverse conduction modes (i.e., diode modes). Under the bidirectional conducting mode, the device showed an on/off ratio of ∼1700 and an on-resistance of 844 and 907 kΩ mm in the forward and reverse directions, respectively. Furthermore, the device showed bidirectional blocking voltages of >150 V. Under the diode modes, the device exhibited clear rectifying behaviors, where the operation principles of the conducting and blocking states were elucidated. This demonstration of the AlN MBDS can be beneficial for the future development of UWBG AlN power electronics.