Demonstration of >6.0-kV Breakdown Voltage in Large Area Vertical GaN p-n Diodes With Step-Etched Junction Termination Extensions

Yates, Luke; Gunning, Brendan P.; Crawford, Mary H.; Steinfeldt, Jeffrey; Smith, Michael L.; Abate, Vincent M.; Dickerson, Jeramy R.; Armstrong, Andrew M.; Binder, Andrew; Allerman, Andrew A.; Kaplar, Robert J.

doi:10.1109/ted.2022.3154665

Title: Demonstration of >6.0-kV Breakdown Voltage in Large Area Vertical GaN p-n Diodes With Step-Etched Junction Termination Extensions

Journal Article · Thu Mar 10 00:00:00 EST 2022 · IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1109/ted.2022.3154665· OSTI ID:1882896

^[1];

^[1]; Crawford, Mary H. ^[1]; Steinfeldt, Jeffrey ^[1]; Smith, Michael L. ^[1];

^[1];

^[1]; Allerman, Andrew A. ^[1];

^[1]

Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

Vertical gallium nitride (GaN) p-n diodes have garnered significant interest for use in power electronics where high-voltage blocking and high-power efficiency are of concern. In this article, we detail the growth and fabrication methods used to develop a large area (1 mm²) vertical GaN p-n diode capable of a 6.0-kV breakdown. We also demonstrate a large area diode with a forward pulsed current of 3.5 A, an 8.3-mΩ$$\cdot$$cm² differential specific ON-resistance, and a 5.3-kV reverse breakdown. In addition, we report on a smaller area diode (0.063 mm²) that is capable of 6.4-kV breakdown with a differential specific ON-resistance of 10.2 mΩ$$\cdot$$cm², when accounting for current spreading through the drift region at a 45° angle. Finally, the demonstration of avalanche breakdown is shown for a 0.063-mm² diode with a room temperature breakdown of 5.6 kV. In this work, these results were achieved via epitaxial growth of a 50-μm drift region with a very low carrier concentration of <1×10¹⁵ cm^–3 and a carefully designed four-zone junction termination extension.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Cite

Export

Save

Research Organization:: Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy (ARPA-E); USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)

Grant/Contract Number:: NA0003525

OSTI ID:: 1882896

Report Number(s):: SAND2022-2471J; 703855

Journal Information:: IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices, Vol. 69, Issue 4; ISSN 0018-9383

Publisher:: IEEECopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

References (41)

Impact of Wide-Bandgap Technology on Renewable Energy and Smart-Grid Power Conversion Applications Including Storage Energies, Vol. 12, Issue 23 https://doi.org/10.3390/en12234462	journal	November 2019
5.0 kV breakdown-voltage vertical GaN p–n junction diodes Ohta, Hiroshi; Hayashi, Kentaro; Horikiri, Fumimasa Japanese Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 57, Issue 4S https://doi.org/10.7567/JJAP.57.04FG09	journal	February 2018
High Voltage Vertical GaN p-n Diodes With Avalanche Capability Kizilyalli, Isik C.; Edwards, Andrew P.; Nie, Hui IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices, Vol. 60, Issue 10 https://doi.org/10.1109/TED.2013.2266664	journal	October 2013
GaN devices for automotive application and their challenges in adoption Kachi, Tetsu 2018 IEEE International Electron Devices Meeting (IEDM) https://doi.org/10.1109/IEDM.2018.8614563	conference	December 2018
Semiconductors for high‐voltage, vertical channel field‐effect transistors Baliga, B. J. Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 53, Issue 3, p. 1759-1764 https://doi.org/10.1063/1.331646	journal	March 1982
Experimental evaluation of impact ionization coefficients in GaN Kunihiro, K.; Kasahara, K.; Takahashi, Y. IEEE Electron Device Letters, Vol. 20, Issue 12 https://doi.org/10.1109/55.806100	journal	December 1999
Direct Observation of Gate Leakage Paths in AlGaN/GaN High Electron Mobility Transistors by Electron Beam–Induced Current Chen, Lixiang; Ma, Xiaohua; Zhu, Jiejie IEEE Transactions on Device and Materials Reliability, Vol. 18, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1109/TDMR.2018.2847664	journal	September 2018
Impact ionization coefficients and critical electric field in GaN Maeda, Takuya; Narita, Tetsuo; Yamada, Shinji Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 129, Issue 18 https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0050793	journal	May 2021
Characterization of Pd/Ni/Au ohmic contacts on p-GaN Cho, H. K.; Hossain, T.; Bae, J. W. Solid-State Electronics, Vol. 49, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sse.2005.01.020	journal	May 2005
Current and future directions in power electronic devices and circuits based on wide band-gap semiconductors Kizilyalli, Isik C.; Xu, Yanzhi Ann; Carlson, Eric 2017 IEEE 5th Workshop on Wide Bandgap Power Devices and Applications (WiPDA) https://doi.org/10.1109/WiPDA.2017.8170583	conference	October 2017
Vertical Power p-n Diodes Based on Bulk GaN Kizilyalli, Isik C.; Edwards, Andrew P.; Aktas, Ozgur IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices, Vol. 62, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1109/TED.2014.2360861	journal	February 2015
The 2018 GaN power electronics roadmap Amano, H.; Baines, Y.; Beam, E. Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics, Vol. 51, Issue 16 https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6463/aaaf9d	journal	March 2018
3.7 kV Vertical GaN PN Diodes Kizilyalli, Isik C.; Edwards, Andrew P.; Nie, Hui IEEE Electron Device Letters, Vol. 35, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1109/LED.2013.2294175	journal	February 2014
Bevel Edge Termination for Vertical GaN Power Diodes Binder, Andrew T.; Dickerson, Jeramy R.; Crawford, Mary H. 2019 IEEE 7th Workshop on Wide Bandgap Power Devices and Applications (WiPDA) https://doi.org/10.1109/WiPDA46397.2019.8998835	conference	October 2019
Robust avalanche in GaN leading to record performance in avalanche photodiode Ji, Dong; Ercan, Burcu; Benson, Garret 2020 IEEE International Reliability Physics Symposium (IRPS) https://doi.org/10.1109/IRPS45951.2020.9129299	conference	April 2020
Simulation and Design of Step-Etched Junction Termination Extensions for GaN Power Diodes Dickerson, Jeramy R.; Binder, Andrew T.; Pickrell, Greg 2020 4th IEEE Electron Devices Technology & Manufacturing Conference (EDTM) https://doi.org/10.1109/EDTM47692.2020.9117883	conference	April 2020
Development of High-Voltage Vertical GaN PN Diodes Kaplar, R. J.; Gunning, B. P.; Allerman, A. A. 2020 IEEE International Electron Devices Meeting (IEDM) https://doi.org/10.1109/IEDM13553.2020.9372079	conference	December 2020
Electrical effects of plasma damage in p-GaN Cao, X. A.; Pearton, S. J.; Zhang, A. P. Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 75, Issue 17 https://doi.org/10.1063/1.125080	journal	October 1999
High-Breakdown-Voltage and Low-Specific-on-Resistance GaN p–n Junction Diodes on Free-Standing GaN Substrates Fabricated Through Low-Damage Field-Plate Process Hatakeyama, Yoshitomo; Nomoto, Kazuki; Terano, Akihisa Japanese Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 52, Issue 2R https://doi.org/10.7567/JJAP.52.028007	journal	February 2013
Avalanche Capability of Vertical GaN p-n Junctions on Bulk GaN Substrates Aktas, O.; Kizilyalli, I. C. IEEE Electron Device Letters, Vol. 36, Issue 9 https://doi.org/10.1109/LED.2015.2456914	journal	September 2015
Performance Limits of Vertical Unipolar Power Devices in GaN and 4H-SiC Cooper, James A.; Morisette, Dallas T. IEEE Electron Device Letters, Vol. 41, Issue 6 https://doi.org/10.1109/LED.2020.2987282	journal	June 2020
Reduction of leakage current at the SiNx/GaN interface in GaN Schottky diodes Kolli, Sowmya; Sunkara, Mahendra; Alphenaar, Bruce Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics, Vol. 29, Issue 22 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10854-018-0064-3	journal	September 2018
Design of Ion-Implanted Junction Termination Extension for Vertical GaN Pin Rectifiers Cho, Minkyu; Xu, Zhiyu; Bakhtiary-Noodeh, Marzieh ECS Transactions, Vol. 98, Issue 6 https://doi.org/10.1149/09806.0049ecst	journal	September 2020
Power Semiconductor Devices for Smart Grid and Renewable Energy Systems Huang, Alex Q. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119515661.ch2	other	January 2019
GaN power devices for Electric Vehicles State-of-the-art and future perspective Longobardi, Giorgia; Efthymiou, Loizos; Arnold, Martin 2018 IEEE International Conference on Electrical Systems for Aircraft, Railway, Ship Propulsion and Road Vehicles & International Transportation Electrification Conference (ESARS-ITEC) https://doi.org/10.1109/ESARS-ITEC.2018.8607788	conference	November 2018
Simulations of Junction Termination Extensions in Vertical GaN Power Diodes Wierer, Jonathan J.; Dickerson, Jeramy R.; Allerman, Andrew A. IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices, Vol. 64, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.1109/TED.2017.2684093	journal	May 2017
Power Electronic Devices and Systems Based on Bulk GaN Substrates Carlson, Eric P.; Cunningham, Daniel W.; Xu, Yan Zhi Materials Science Forum, Vol. 924 https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/MSF.924.799	journal	June 2018
Identification of the primary compensating defect level responsible for determining blocking voltage of vertical GaN power diodes King, M. P.; Kaplar, R. J.; Dickerson, J. R. Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 109, Issue 18 https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4966903	journal	October 2016
Comparative Study of Heatsink Volume and Weight Optimization in SST DAB cells Employing GaN, SiC-MOSFET and Si-IGBT Switches Beiranvand, Hamzeh; Rokrok, Esmaeel; Liserre, Marco 2019 10th International Power Electronics, Drive Systems and Technologies Conference (PEDSTC) https://doi.org/10.1109/PEDSTC.2019.8697276	conference	February 2019
Review of Recent Progress on Vertical GaN-Based PN Diodes Pu, Taofei; Younis, Usman; Chiu, Hsien-Chin Nanoscale Research Letters, Vol. 16, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1186/s11671-021-03554-7	journal	June 2021
Grid Value Investigation of Medium-Voltage Back-to-Back Converters Zhu, Xiangqi; Singh, Akanksha; Mather, Barry 2021 IEEE Power & Energy Society Innovative Smart Grid Technologies Conference (ISGT) https://doi.org/10.1109/ISGT49243.2021.9372266	conference	February 2021
Deep-level transient spectroscopy of low-free-carrier-concentration n-GaN layers grown on freestanding GaN substrates: Dependence on carbon compensation ratio Tanaka, Takeshi; Shiojima, Kenji; Mishima, Tomoyoshi Japanese Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 55, Issue 6 https://doi.org/10.7567/JJAP.55.061101	journal	May 2016
On impact ionization and avalanche in gallium nitride Ji, Dong; Chowdhury, Srabanti Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 117, Issue 25 https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0031504	journal	December 2020
Vertical GaN Power Diodes With a Bilayer Edge Termination Dickerson, Jeramy R.; Allerman, Andrew A.; Bryant, Benjamin N. IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices, Vol. 63, Issue 1, p. 419-425 https://doi.org/10.1109/TED.2015.2502186	journal	January 2016
Advanced SiC and GaN power electronics for automotive systems Kanechika, Masakazu; Uesugi, Tsutomu; Kachi, Tetsu 2010 International Electron Devices Meeting https://doi.org/10.1109/IEDM.2010.5703356	conference	December 2010
Experimental determination of impact ionization coefficients of electrons and holes in gallium nitride using homojunction structures Ji, Dong; Ercan, Burcu; Chowdhury, Srabanti Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 115, Issue 7 https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5099245	journal	August 2019
High voltage and high current density vertical GaN power diodes Fischer, A. J.; Dickerson, J. R.; Armstrong, A. M. Electronics Letters, Vol. 52, Issue 13 https://doi.org/10.1049/el.2016.1156	journal	June 2016
Deeply and vertically etched butte structure of vertical GaN p–n diode with avalanche capability Fukushima, Hayata; Usami, Shigeyoshi; Ogura, Masaya Japanese Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 58, Issue SC https://doi.org/10.7567/1347-4065/ab106c	journal	May 2019
Temperature Dependence of Electron and Hole Impact Ionization Coefficients in GaN Cao, Lina; Zhu, Zhongtao; Harden, Galen IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices, Vol. 68, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1109/TED.2021.3054355	journal	March 2021
Gallium nitride devices for power electronic applications Baliga, B. Jayant Semiconductor Science and Technology, Vol. 28, Issue 7 https://doi.org/10.1088/0268-1242/28/7/074011	journal	June 2013
10 kV, 39 mΩ·cm² Multi-Channel AlGaN/GaN Schottky Barrier Diodes Xiao, Ming; Ma, Yunwei; Liu, Kai IEEE Electron Device Letters, Vol. 42, Issue 6 https://doi.org/10.1109/LED.2021.3076802	journal	June 2021

Similar Records

1.2-kV Vertical GaN PIN Rectifier With Ion-Implanted Floating Guard Rings

Journal Article · Tue Jul 25 00:00:00 EDT 2023 · IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices · OSTI ID:1882896

Cho, Minkyu; Xu, Zhiyu; Bakhtiary-Noodeh, Marzieh; +10 more

Distributed polarization-doped GaN p–n diodes with near-unity ideality factor and avalanche breakdown voltage of 1.25 kV

Journal Article · Thu Mar 24 00:00:00 EDT 2022 · Applied Physics Letters · OSTI ID:1882896

Nomoto, Kazuki; Li, Wenshen; Song, Bo; +11 more

1 kV Self-Aligned Vertical GaN Superjunction Diode

Journal Article · Wed Nov 15 00:00:00 EST 2023 · IEEE Electron Device Letters · OSTI ID:1882896

Ma, Yunwei; Porter, Matthew; Qin, Yuan; +11 more

Related Subjects

42 ENGINEERING
avalanche breakdown
gallium nitride
junction termination extension (JTE)
power devices
vertical p-n diode

Title: Demonstration of >6.0-kV Breakdown Voltage in Large Area Vertical GaN p-n Diodes With Step-Etched Junction Termination Extensions

Citation Formats

References (41)

Similar Records

Related Subjects