skip to main content
DOE PAGES title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Review—Ultra-Wide-Bandgap AlGaN Power Electronic Devices

Abstract

“Ultra” wide-bandgap semiconductors are an emerging class of materials with bandgaps greater than that of gallium nitride (EG > 3.4 eV) that may ultimately benefit a wide range of applications, including switching power conversion, pulsed power, RF electronics, UV optoelectronics, and quantum information. This paper describes the progress made to date at Sandia National Laboratories to develop one of these materials, aluminum gallium nitride, targeted toward high-power devices. The advantageous material properties of AlGaN are reviewed, questions concerning epitaxial growth and defect physics are covered, and the processing and performance of vertical- and lateral-geometry devices are described. The paper concludes with an assessment of the outlook for AlGaN, including outstanding research opportunities and a brief discussion of other potential applications.

Authors:
 [1];  [1];  [1];  [1];  [1];  [1];  [1];  [1]
+ Show Author Affiliations
  1. Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)
OSTI Identifier:
1429733
Report Number(s):
SAND-2017-1521J
Journal ID: ISSN 2162-8769; 654257
Grant/Contract Number:  
AC04-94AL85000
Resource Type:
Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
ECS Journal of Solid State Science and Technology
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 6; Journal Issue: 2; Journal ID: ISSN 2162-8769
Publisher:
Electrochemical Society
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE

Citation Formats

Kaplar, R. J., Allerman, A. A., Armstrong, A. M., Crawford, M. H., Dickerson, J. R., Fischer, A. J., Baca, A. G., and Douglas, E. A. Review—Ultra-Wide-Bandgap AlGaN Power Electronic Devices. United States: N. p., 2016. Web. doi:10.1149/2.0111702jss.
Copy to clipboard
Kaplar, R. J., Allerman, A. A., Armstrong, A. M., Crawford, M. H., Dickerson, J. R., Fischer, A. J., Baca, A. G., & Douglas, E. A. Review—Ultra-Wide-Bandgap AlGaN Power Electronic Devices. United States. doi:10.1149/2.0111702jss.
Copy to clipboard
Kaplar, R. J., Allerman, A. A., Armstrong, A. M., Crawford, M. H., Dickerson, J. R., Fischer, A. J., Baca, A. G., and Douglas, E. A. Tue . "Review—Ultra-Wide-Bandgap AlGaN Power Electronic Devices". United States. doi:10.1149/2.0111702jss. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1429733.
Copy to clipboard
@article{osti_1429733,
title = {Review—Ultra-Wide-Bandgap AlGaN Power Electronic Devices},
author = {Kaplar, R. J. and Allerman, A. A. and Armstrong, A. M. and Crawford, M. H. and Dickerson, J. R. and Fischer, A. J. and Baca, A. G. and Douglas, E. A.},
abstractNote = {“Ultra” wide-bandgap semiconductors are an emerging class of materials with bandgaps greater than that of gallium nitride (EG > 3.4 eV) that may ultimately benefit a wide range of applications, including switching power conversion, pulsed power, RF electronics, UV optoelectronics, and quantum information. This paper describes the progress made to date at Sandia National Laboratories to develop one of these materials, aluminum gallium nitride, targeted toward high-power devices. The advantageous material properties of AlGaN are reviewed, questions concerning epitaxial growth and defect physics are covered, and the processing and performance of vertical- and lateral-geometry devices are described. The paper concludes with an assessment of the outlook for AlGaN, including outstanding research opportunities and a brief discussion of other potential applications.},
doi = {10.1149/2.0111702jss},
journal = {ECS Journal of Solid State Science and Technology},
number = 2,
volume = 6,
place = {United States},
year = {2016},
month = {12}
}
Copy to clipboard
Journal Article:
Free Publicly Available Full Text
Publisher's Version of Record
DOI:  10.1149/2.0111702jss
Copyright Statement
Other availability
Search WorldCat Search WorldCat to find libraries that may hold this journal
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 18 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science
Save / Share:
Export Metadata
Save to My Library
You must Sign In or Create an Account in order to save documents to your library.

Works referenced in this record:

Al0 .3Ga0.7N PN diode with breakdown voltage >1600 V
journal, July 2016

  • Armstrong, A. M.; King, M. P.; Kaplar, R. J.
  • Electronics Letters, Vol. 52, Issue 15
  • DOI: 10.1049/el.2016.1280

Low dislocation density AlGaN epilayers by epitaxial overgrowth of patterned templates
journal, February 2014

Time Dependence of Bias-Stress-Induced SiC MOSFET Threshold-Voltage Instability Measurements
journal, August 2008

  • Lelis, Aivars J.; Habersat, Daniel; Green, Ronald
  • IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices, Vol. 55, Issue 8
  • DOI: 10.1109/TED.2008.926672

Remarkable breakdown voltage enhancement in AlGaN channel high electron mobility transistors
journal, June 2008

  • Nanjo, Takuma; Takeuchi, Misaichi; Suita, Muneyoshi
  • Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 92, Issue 26
  • DOI: 10.1063/1.2949087

Silicon carbide: A unique platform for metal-oxide-semiconductor physics
journal, June 2015

  • Liu, Gang; Tuttle, Blair R.; Dhar, Sarit
  • Applied Physics Reviews, Vol. 2, Issue 2
  • DOI: 10.1063/1.4922748

Problems related to p-n junctions in silicon
journal, January 1961

High-Mobility Stable 4H-SiC MOSFETs Using a Thin PSG Interfacial Passivation Layer
journal, February 2013

  • Sharma, Y. K.; Ahyi, A. C.; Isaacs-Smith, T.
  • IEEE Electron Device Letters, Vol. 34, Issue 2
  • DOI: 10.1109/LED.2012.2232900

An assessment of wide bandgap semiconductors for power devices
journal, May 2003

  • Hudgins, J. L.; Simin, G. S.; Santi, E.
  • IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics, Vol. 18, Issue 3
  • DOI: 10.1109/TPEL.2003.810840

An AlN/Al 0.85 Ga 0.15 N high electron mobility transistor
journal, July 2016

  • Baca, Albert G.; Armstrong, Andrew M.; Allerman, Andrew A.
  • Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 109, Issue 3
  • DOI: 10.1063/1.4959179

Study of two-dimensional electron gas in AlGaN channel HEMTs with high crystalline quality
journal, May 2010

  • Hashimoto, Shin; Akita, Katsushi; Tanabe, Tatsuya
  • physica status solidi (c), Vol. 7, Issue 7-8
  • DOI: 10.1002/pssc.200983440

Enhancement of two-dimensional electron gases in AlGaN-channel high-electron-mobility transistors with AlN barrier layers
journal, February 2012

  • Hashimoto, Shin; Akita, Katsushi; Yamamoto, Yoshiyuki
  • physica status solidi (a), Vol. 209, Issue 3
  • DOI: 10.1002/pssa.201100379

Vanadium-based Ohmic contacts to n-AlGaN in the entire alloy composition
journal, February 2007

  • France, Ryan; Xu, Tao; Chen, Papo
  • Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 90, Issue 6
  • DOI: 10.1063/1.2458399

AlGaN channel field effect transistors with graded heterostructure ohmic contacts
journal, September 2016

  • Bajaj, Sanyam; Akyol, Fatih; Krishnamoorthy, Sriram
  • Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 109, Issue 13
  • DOI: 10.1063/1.4963860

Enhanced Inversion Mobility on 4H-SiC $(\hbox{11}\overline{\hbox{2}} \hbox{0})$ Using Phosphorus and Nitrogen Interface Passivation
journal, February 2013

Ni/Au Schottky diodes on AlxGa1-xN (0.7<x<1) grown on AlN single crystal substrates
journal, June 2011

  • Xie, Jinqiao; Mia, Seiji; Dalmau, Rafael
  • physica status solidi (c), Vol. 8, Issue 7-8
  • DOI: 10.1002/pssc.201001009

Reliable Operation of SiC JFET Subjected to Over 2.4 Million 1200-V/115-A Hard Switching Events at 150 $^{\circ}\hbox{C}$
journal, March 2013

Merits of gallium nitride based power conversion
journal, June 2013

Prospects for the application of GaN power devices in hybrid electric vehicle drive systems
journal, June 2013

AlN barrier HFETs with AlGaN channels to shift the threshold voltage to higher positive values: a proposal
journal, June 2013

High Breakdown ( >1500 V ) AlGaN/GaN HEMTs by Substrate-Transfer Technology
journal, September 2010

Activation of Mg implanted in GaN by multicycle rapid thermal annealing
journal, January 2014

  • Kub, F. J.; Eddy, C. R.; Hite, J. K.
  • Electronics Letters, Vol. 50, Issue 3
  • DOI: 10.1049/el.2013.3214

Progress in sic Materials/Devices and Their Competition
journal, March 2012

  • Schroder, Dieter K.
  • International Journal of High Speed Electronics and Systems, Vol. 21, Issue 01
  • DOI: 10.1142/S0129156412500097

Optimum semiconductors for high-power electronics
journal, January 1989

  • Shenai, K.; Scott, R. S.; Baliga, B. J.
  • IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices, Vol. 36, Issue 9
  • DOI: 10.1109/16.34247

A numerical study of carrier impact ionization in Al x Ga 1− x N
journal, May 2012

  • Bellotti, Enrico; Bertazzi, Francesco
  • Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 111, Issue 10
  • DOI: 10.1063/1.4719967

Barrier heights of Schottky contacts on strained AlGaN/GaN heterostructures: Determination and effect of metal work functions
journal, June 2003

  • Lin, Zhaojun; Lu, Wu; Lee, Jaesun
  • Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 82, Issue 24
  • DOI: 10.1063/1.1584077

High critical electric field of AlxGa1−xN p-i-n vertical conducting diodes on n-SiC substrates
journal, April 2006

  • Nishikawa, Atsushi; Kumakura, Kazuhide; Akasaka, Tetsuya
  • Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 88, Issue 17
  • DOI: 10.1063/1.2198092

AlN/AlGaN HEMTs on AlN substrate for stable high-temperature operation
journal, January 2014

  • Yafune, N.; Akita, K.; Hashimoto, S.
  • Electronics Letters, Vol. 50, Issue 3
  • DOI: 10.1049/el.2013.2846

AlGaN Channel HEMT With Extremely High Breakdown Voltage
journal, March 2013

  • Nanjo, Takuma; Imai, Akifumi; Suzuki, Yosuke
  • IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices, Vol. 60, Issue 3
  • DOI: 10.1109/TED.2012.2233742

AlGaN Channel High Electron Mobility Transistors: Device Performance and Power-Switching Figure of Merit
journal, May 2008

  • Raman, Ajay; Dasgupta, Sansaptak; Rajan, Siddharth
  • Japanese Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 47, Issue 5
  • DOI: 10.1143/JJAP.47.3359

Effect of threading dislocations on the Bragg peakwidths of GaN, AlGaN, and AlN heterolayers
journal, June 2005

  • Lee, S. R.; West, A. M.; Allerman, A. A.
  • Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 86, Issue 24
  • DOI: 10.1063/1.1947367

Schottky barrier properties of various metals on n-type GaN
journal, October 1996

Modeling of high composition AlGaN channel high electron mobility transistors with large threshold voltage
journal, December 2014

  • Bajaj, Sanyam; Hung, Ting-Hsiang; Akyol, Fatih
  • Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 105, Issue 26
  • DOI: 10.1063/1.4905323

Vertical GaN Power Diodes With a Bilayer Edge Termination
journal, January 2016

  • Dickerson, Jeramy R.; Allerman, Andrew A.; Bryant, Benjamin N.
  • IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices, Vol. 63, Issue 1, p. 419-425
  • DOI: 10.1109/TED.2015.2502186

High Critical Electric Field Exceeding 8 MV/cm Measured Using an AlGaN p – i – n Vertical Conducting Diode on n -SiC Substrate
journal, April 2007

  • Nishikawa, Atsushi; Kumakura, Kazuhide; Makimoto, Toshiki
  • Japanese Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 46, Issue 4B
  • DOI: 10.1143/JJAP.46.2316

High Al Composition AlGaN-Channel High-Electron-Mobility Transistor on AlN Substrate
journal, December 2010

  • Tokuda, Hirokuni; Hatano, Maiko; Yafune, Norimasa
  • Applied Physics Express, Vol. 3, Issue 12
  • DOI: 10.1143/APEX.3.121003

Gallium nitride devices for power electronic applications
journal, June 2013

6.5 kV SiC normally-off JFETs — Technology status
conference, October 2014

  • Hostetler, J. L.; Alexandrov, P.; Li, X.
  • 2014 IEEE Workshop on Wide Bandgap Power Devices and Applications (WiPDA)
  • DOI: 10.1109/WiPDA.2014.6964642
    [ × clear filter / sort ]

    Similar Records in DOE PAGES and OSTI.GOV collections: