Buffer Traps Effect on GaN-on-Si High-Electron-Mobility Transistor at Different Substrate Voltages

Substrate voltage (V_SUB) effects on GaN-on-Si high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) power application performance with superlattice transition layer structure was investigated. The 2DEG conductivity and buffer stack charge redistribution can be affected by neutral/ionized donor and acceptor traps. As the donor/acceptor traps are excessively ionized or de-ionized by applying V_SUB, the depletion region between the unintentionally doped (UID)/Carbon-doped (C-doped) GaN layer may exhibit a behavior similar to the p–n junction. An applied negative V_SUB increases the concentration of both the ionized donor and acceptor traps, which increases the breakdown voltage (BV) by alleviating the non-uniform distribution of the vertical electric field. On the other hand, an applied positive V_SUB causes the energy band bending flattener to refill the ionized traps and slightly improves the dynamic R_on degradation. Moreover, the amount of electrons injected into the buffer stack layer from the front side (2DEG channel/Ohmic contact) and the back side (AlN nucleation layer/superlattice transition layer) are asymmetric. Therefore, different V_SUB can affect the conductivity of 2DEG through the field effect, buffer trapping effect, and charge redistribution, which can change the electrical performance of the device.