Integrated Nitride Based HighPower Circuits

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Integrated Nitride Based High-Power Circuits
G. Simin Dept of EE, USC Photonics and
Microelectronics Lab.
OUTLINE

• III-N Material Advantages
• Energy Band Engineering/Heterostructure
  Advantages
• Advanced Insulated Gate III-N Devices
• Integrated High-Power Circuits Development

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Integrated Nitride Based High-Power Circuits
III-N Material Advantages
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Integrated Nitride Based High-Power Circuits
III-N Material Advantages
High breakdown voltage
Easy heat management
High powers
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Integrated Nitride Based High-Power Circuits
III-N Material Advantages
High electron velocity high-speed circuits
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Integrated Nitride Based High-Power Circuits
III-N Material Advantages
c is thermal conductivity EB is breakdown field m
is low field mobility vs is saturation
velocity eo is dielectric constant
Figure of merit for high frequency/high power
applications
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Integrated Nitride Based High-Power Circuits
III-N Material Advantages Energy Band
Engineering/Heterostructure Advantages
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Integrated Nitride Based High-Power Circuits
The band structure of AlGaN/GaN heterojunction
provides 10 times more space for electrons as
compared to AlGaAs/GaAs
Extremely high 2D electron gas concentration -
high current densities
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Integrated Nitride Based High-Power Circuits
The polarization charges in GaN are record high
Induced 2DEG

High 2DEG densities can be achieved without
doping higher breakdown voltages
The maximum currents in III-N based HFETs (1 2
A/mm) are 10 times higher than those of GaAs -
based devices
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Typical III-N based HFET structure and design

• Typical AlGaN/GaN HFET characteristics
• Ns (1-2)x1013 cm-2
• m 1500-2000 cm2/V-s
• IDS 1-2 A/mm
• VBD 70-100 V
• PRF 5 10 W/mm

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Integrated Nitride Based High-Power Circuits

• III-N Material Advantages
• Energy Band Engineering/Heterostructure
  Advantages
• Advanced Insulated Gate III-N Devices
• Integrated High-Power Circuits Development

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Insulated Gate High-Power HFETs
MOSHFET (SiO2 )
HFET

• Large negative/positive gate voltage swing
• Max currents almost doubled
• High temperature stability

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Nitride Advantages for Electronic Devices
Properties
Advantages

• High mobility
• High saturation velocity
• High sheet carrier concentration
• High breakdown field

High power
Heat handling capability

• Decent thermal conductivity
• Growth on SiC substrate

• Chemical inertness
• Good ohmic contacts
• Temperature stability

Reliability
Insulated Gate Design

• SiO2/AlGaN high quality interface

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MOSHFET IC Development High power switch AC/DC
converter
Circuit design
CCD Image of 1 mm gate IC
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High power switching using III-N MOSHFETs
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MOSHFET MMIC Development
0.25 mm gate MMIC p-type RF switch 0 10 GHz
(USC 2003)
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MOSHFET MMIC Development
0.25 mm gate MMIC p-type RF switch 10 GHz (USC
2003)
Saturation power gt 20W/mm (Estimated 35-40 W/mm)
System input power limit