AlGaN/GaN MOS-HEMTs with Corona-Discharge Plasma Treatment

Abstract

The effects of a corona-discharge plasma treatment on the performance of an AlGaN/GaN metal-oxide-semiconductor high-electron mobility transistor fabricated onto Si substrates were studied. The threshold voltage shifted from −8.15 to −4.21 V when the device was treated with an Al2O3 layer. The leakage current was reduced from 2.9 × 10−5 to 4.2 × 10−7 mA/mm, and the ION/IOFF ratio increased from 8.3 × 106 to 7.3 × 108 using the corona-discharge plasma treatment, which exhibited an increase of about two orders of magnitude. The device exhibited excellent performance with a subthreshold swing of 78 mV/dec and a peak gain of 47.92 mS/mm at VGS = 10 V.