Semiconductors for high-voltage, vertical channel field-effect transistors

The influence of material parameters upon the characteristics of vertical channel power field effect transistors is examined. It is demonstrated that for devices with the same breakdown voltage and device structure, the on-resistance is inversely proportional to the third power of the energy band gap and inversely proportional to the mobility. In addition the frequency response of these devices increases in proportion to the mobility and the energy band gap. Calculated device parameters for III–V semiconductor compounds, as well as their alloys, have been compared to those of a silicon device with the same breakdown voltage. It is found that devices fabricated from GaAs, InP, and GaP are expected to have a current handling capability which is a factor of 12.7, 5, and 1.85 better than that of the silicon device with the same breakdown voltage. In addition, the current handling capability of devices fabricated from the alloy semiconductors GaAlAs, GaAsP, and InGaP are even superior to those of a GaAs device with the same breakdown voltage.