Emerging N-Face GaN HEMT Technology: A Cellular Monte Carlo Study

This paper aims to investigate the potential of the emerging N-face technology with respect to both the direct current and radio frequency performance of GaN high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) devices. High-frequency high-power state-of-the-art HEMTs were investigated with our full-band cellular Monte Carlo simulator, which includes the full details of the band structure and the phonon spectra. A complete characterization of these devices was performed using experimental data to calibrate the few adjustable parameters of the simulator. The effect of scaling the device dimensions, such as the gate length and the access region lengths, on the device performance was analyzed. In addition, the enhancement-mode configuration of the N-face structure was investigated. Our simulations showed that N-face devices represent an important step in engineering HEMT devices for delivering high power density and efficiency at microwave and millimeter-wave frequencies.