GaN-on-GaN p-i-n diodes with avalanche capability enabled by eliminating surface leakage with hydrogen plasma treatment

Fu, Kai; He, Ziyi; Yang, Chen; Zhou, Jingan; Fu, Houqiang; Zhao, Yuji

doi:10.1063/5.0107677

Title: GaN-on-GaN p-i-n diodes with avalanche capability enabled by eliminating surface leakage with hydrogen plasma treatment

Abstract

Traditional mesa terminations require precise angle design to reduce the electric field at the edge and surface treatment to reduce etch damage. Otherwise, the device usually suffers a premature breakdown. This work proposes the use of easy-to-implement hydrogen plasma treatment to solve the premature breakdown caused by mesa and demonstrates the avalanche capability in GaN-on-GaN p-i-n diodes. The breakdown electric field when the avalanche occurred was ∼2.3 MV/cm at room temperature for a GaN drift layer with a doping concentration of ∼7 × 1015 cm−3, which is consistent with the theoretical value. The temperature coefficient of the avalanche breakdown voltage of the devices was 4.64–4.85 × 10−4 K−1. This work shows a simple and effective approach to achieve avalanche capability in vertical GaN power devices, which can serve as an important reference for the future development of efficient and robust GaN power electronics.

Authors:

;

Publication Date:: Tue Aug 30 00:00:00 EDT 2022

Sponsoring Org.:: USDOE

OSTI Identifier:: 1884604

Grant/Contract Number:: AR0000868; SC0021230

Resource Type:: Publisher's Accepted Manuscript

Journal Name:: Applied Physics Letters

Additional Journal Information:: Journal Name: Applied Physics Letters Journal Volume: 121 Journal Issue: 9; Journal ID: ISSN 0003-6951

Publisher:: American Institute of Physics

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

Citation Formats


                    Fu, Kai, He, Ziyi, Yang, Chen, Zhou, Jingan, Fu, Houqiang, and Zhao, Yuji. GaN-on-GaN p-i-n diodes with avalanche capability enabled by eliminating surface leakage with hydrogen plasma treatment.  United States: N. p., 2022. 
Web.  doi:10.1063/5.0107677.

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                    Fu, Kai, He, Ziyi, Yang, Chen, Zhou, Jingan, Fu, Houqiang, & Zhao, Yuji. GaN-on-GaN p-i-n diodes with avalanche capability enabled by eliminating surface leakage with hydrogen plasma treatment.  United States.  https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0107677

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                    Fu, Kai, He, Ziyi, Yang, Chen, Zhou, Jingan, Fu, Houqiang, and Zhao, Yuji. Tue .  
"GaN-on-GaN p-i-n diodes with avalanche capability enabled by eliminating surface leakage with hydrogen plasma treatment".  United States.  https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0107677.

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@article{osti_1884604,

  title        = {GaN-on-GaN p-i-n diodes with avalanche capability enabled by eliminating surface leakage with hydrogen plasma treatment},

  author       = {Fu, Kai and He, Ziyi and Yang, Chen and Zhou, Jingan and Fu, Houqiang and Zhao, Yuji},

  abstractNote = {Traditional mesa terminations require precise angle design to reduce the electric field at the edge and surface treatment to reduce etch damage. Otherwise, the device usually suffers a premature breakdown. This work proposes the use of easy-to-implement hydrogen plasma treatment to solve the premature breakdown caused by mesa and demonstrates the avalanche capability in GaN-on-GaN p-i-n diodes. The breakdown electric field when the avalanche occurred was ∼2.3 MV/cm at room temperature for a GaN drift layer with a doping concentration of ∼7 × 1015 cm−3, which is consistent with the theoretical value. The temperature coefficient of the avalanche breakdown voltage of the devices was 4.64–4.85 × 10−4 K−1. This work shows a simple and effective approach to achieve avalanche capability in vertical GaN power devices, which can serve as an important reference for the future development of efficient and robust GaN power electronics.},

  doi          = {10.1063/5.0107677},

  journal      = {Applied Physics Letters},

  number       = 9,

  volume       = 121,

  place        = {United States},

  year         = {Tue Aug 30 00:00:00 EDT 2022},

  month        = {Tue Aug 30 00:00:00 EDT 2022}

}

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Title: GaN-on-GaN p-i-n diodes with avalanche capability enabled by eliminating surface leakage with hydrogen plasma treatment

Abstract

Citation Formats

Implantation-and etching-free high voltage vertical GaN p–n diodes terminated by plasma-hydrogenated p-GaN: revealing the role of thermal annealing journal, May 2019

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High Performance Vertical GaN-on-GaN p-n Power Diodes With Hydrogen-Plasma-Based Edge Termination journal, July 2018

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1.7-kV and 0.55-$\text{m}\Omega \cdot \text {cm}^{2}$ GaN p-n Diodes on Bulk GaN Substrates With Avalanche Capability journal, February 2016

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