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Revised Lecture 10 - GaN Semiconductor

Gallium nitride (GaN) is an important wide bandgap semiconductor material that has advantages over traditional semiconductors like silicon for applications requiring high power, high temperature, or high frequency performance. GaN devices can operate at higher voltages, frequencies, and temperatures than silicon-based devices. Current research areas for GaN include improving crystal quality, developing ultraviolet lasers, and investigating applications in power electronics, wireless infrastructure, military systems, and solar energy. Some key limiting factors for GaN device performance are scattering from crystal defects, phonons, and alloy disorder in the material structure.

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200 views

Revised Lecture 10 - GaN Semiconductor

Gallium nitride (GaN) is an important wide bandgap semiconductor material that has advantages over traditional semiconductors like silicon for applications requiring high power, high temperature, or high frequency performance. GaN devices can operate at higher voltages, frequencies, and temperatures than silicon-based devices. Current research areas for GaN include improving crystal quality, developing ultraviolet lasers, and investigating applications in power electronics, wireless infrastructure, military systems, and solar energy. Some key limiting factors for GaN device performance are scattering from crystal defects, phonons, and alloy disorder in the material structure.

Uploaded by

Habib Shinwari
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Gallium Nitride (GaN)

A Potential Candidate of
Future Electronics
Lecture10

Overview

Introduction
Structure & Physical Properties
GaN vs. other semiconductors
Current research,
Limiting factors
Applications
2

Introduction
GaN is the next important
semiconductor after Si.
Si
Operate at High Temperatures.
Key material for the next generation
of high frequency and high power
applications.
applications
Belongs Wide Band Gap (WBG)
semiconductor family.
family.
http://www.phy.mtu.edu/yap/images/g
alliumnitride.jpg
3

Why GaN is important ?


WBG Semiconductor with Direct Bandgap Energy
Useful as Optoelectronics Devices
o Blue & Blue/green light emitters

Transistors withstand extreme heat and


High frequencies and power levels
GaN based Amplifiers more efficient at the base
stations
o Si
Si--only 10% power used and 90% wasted as heat
4

GaN Crystal Structure


GaN grown in
Wurtzite crystal structure
Zinc-blende crystal structure

The band gap, Eg, effected by crystal


structure

Wurtzite Crystal Structure


Wurtzite crystal structure is a member of the hexagonal crystal
system
Several other compounds can take the
wurtzite structure, including Agl, ZnO,
CdS, CdSe, and other semiconductors.
Energy gap: 3.4 eV
An ideal angle: 1090
Nearest neighbor: 19.5 nm
Energetically favorable
Hexagonal Diamond

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imag
e:Wurtzite-unit-cell-3D-balls.png
6

Zinc--blende Crystal Structure


Zinc

Energy

gap 3.2 eV

An ideal angle: 109.470


Nearest neighbor: 19.5 nm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Sphale
rite-unit-cell-depth-fade-3D-balls.png7

GaN Bonding Properties


Tetrahedral bonds
sp3 hybridization
Bonding angle: 109.47
Bond Length: 19.5 nm

Ga-N bonds significantly stronger than Ga-Ga


interactions (based on distance)

Ionicity
GaN exhibits mixed ionic-covalent bonding
Ionicity of a bond is the fraction fi of ionic character compared to
the fraction of fh of covalent character
By Paulings definition

Modern definition

is the ionicity phase angle


1http://www.bcpl.net/~kdrews/bonding/bonding2.html

GaN Bonding Properties


Based on calculations using both methods, typical values are
Compound

Pauling ionicity

Modern ionicity2

AlN

0.430

0.449

AlP

0.086

0.307

AlAs

0.061

0.274

GaN

0.387

0.500

GaP

0.061

0.327

GaAs

0.039

0.310

InN

0.345

0.578

InP

0.039

0.421

InAs

0.022

0.357

NaCl

0.668

> 0.9

C (Diamond)

Bond Character dependent on electronegativity


2J.C.

10

Phillips, Bonds and Bands in Semiconductors 1973

GaN--Crystal Growth
GaN
Substrates for Epigrowth

6.5

Hexagonal
Cubic

3C-SiC
MgO

ZnO
6H-SiC
BN

AlN

650nm

Sapphire

5.5

Band gap / eV

AlN
4.5
650nm

BN

3.5

GaN

GaN

2.5

650nm
650nm
650nm

InN
1.5

2.5

3.5

4.5

5.5

Lattice Constant /

Thermal & lattice mismatch - Strain and Defects


11

Why GaN based HEMTs important?

High Voltage Operation


High power densities 4 to 8 watts/mm at 28 and
50 volt operation respectively
High Frequency Performance
High Efficiency
Low Quiescent Current
High Native Linearity
Low capacitance per peak watt
12% of LDMOS and 21% of GaAs MESFET
supports broad bandwidths
Almost constant CDS as a function of VDS
Enable new amplifier architectures
12

GaN HEMT History

1960 GaN small crystals was made.


1980 Takashi Minura
Minura,, Fujitsu laboratories
designed the features of the first HEMT.
HEMT
1985 HEMT was announced the lowest noise
device.
1994 Kahn demonstrated the first AlGaN
AlGaN//GaN
HEMT.

13

GaN HEMT Substrate


Available Substrates

Substrate Cost

GaN HEMT on Silicon Substrate has major advantages of high


power, cost effectiveness and reliability.
14

GaN LED History (Nakamura)


1989-Started III-V nitride research.
1990- a new two-flow MOCVD equipment was developed for
growth of high quality single crystal GaN layers.
1992-grow InGaN single crystal layers for the production of
heterostructures
1995-Developed high-brightness SQW structure blue/green
LEDs with a luminous intensity of 2 cd and 10 cd, and
developed a violet laser diode using III-V nitride materials for
the first time.
1996-The first current infection III-V nitride based LDs were
fabricated.
1996-Announces the first CW blue GaN based injection laser
at room temperature.

15

Comparison of GaN with other


semiconductors

16

GaN Comparison

Silicon cannot provide the power-bandwidth product for


military applications

17

GaN Comparison
The small intrinsic carrier concentration in GaN at room temperature enables
the high power and temperature applications.

ni (300) 2.25 10-10 cm 3 for epitaxial GaN


5

1x10

Intrinsic concentration (cm-3)

1x10

SiC

-5

1x10

GaN
-10

1x10

16 (3/2)

ni(T)=1.98x10 T exp(-20488/T)
-15

10

-20

10

2.5

3.0

3.5

4.0

Temperature (1000/K)

Intrinsic carrier concentration in SiC and GaN as a function of temperature. Ref. R. Kolessar et al., 2001.
18

GaN comparison
1

Specific on-state resistance (-cm2)

AlGaN-UF

AlGaN-UF

GaN Schottky rectifiers

GaN-UF

Si
0.1

AlGaN-UF
GaN-UF

GaN-UF

GaN-Caltech

0.01

6H-SiC

GaN-UT

GaN
GaN-UF
GaN-UF

1E-3

1E-4
2

10

10

10

Reverse breakdown voltage (V)

RON 2.4 10

12

BV

2 .5

for GaN
19

Breakdown Voltage
4

10

GaN punchthrough diode


Theoretical breakdown voltage

50 m

Breakdown voltage (V)

30 m
20 m
Non-punchthrough
theoretical limit

10 m
5 m
3

10

3 m

n-

n+

BVPT E cWPT

qN BWPT2

2 0

where EC is critical electric field,


WP drift region thickness
NA doping concentration,
and permittivity

1 m

10

1E15

GaN punchthrough diode

1E16

1E17
-3

Doping concentration (cm )

The calculated reverse breakdown voltage of punch-through


diode as a function of doping concentration and standoff
region thickness

3 m GaN epi can give more than


900V of reverse breakdown
voltage with the doping
concentration of 1016 cm-3
20

Current Research and


Limiting factors

21

Current Research
Fundamental Physics
Improving crystal quality (still very poor)
Ultraviolet lasers
Lattice matching with quaternary alloys (AlGaInN)
Nitride heterostructures and accompanying
applications
Current Issues in III- V Nitrides

1. Inability to grow good quality crystals


2. Inability to grow p-type crystals

22

Crystal Quality
Problem: No lattice matched substrates, high growth
temperature results in convection currents
Sapphire is closest but is 15% off.
SiC is too expensive
MOCVD growth too fast for good control (few mm/min)

Solution: Buffer layers, new growth system


First grow GaN or AlN buffer layer
Two-flow MOCVD system
Still many many dislocations in material (1010 cm-2) but
dislocations dont matter?

23

Research Questions
Even undoped, carrier densities in AlGaN/GaN
heterostructures is 10 to 100 times larger than
those in similar (AlGaAs/GaAs) systems.

What is the source of these carriers?


Carrier mobilities in AlGaN/GaN heterostructures
are 10 to 100 times lower than in the AlGaAs/
GaAs system.

What are the principle mechanisms limiting


the mobility?
24

Limiting Factors
Scattering mechanisms
Coulomb fields
Phonons
Alloy Disorder

25

Coulomb Scattering
Electrons are affected by the long-range Coulomb
fields of randomly distributed ionized donor
atoms.
Thicker barriers move ionized surface donors further
away from carriers.
Large 2-DEG densities screen the effect of these
Coulomb fields.

26

Phonon scattering
Phonons are lattice vibrations in a crystal.
Acoustic phonons
Both types of atoms move in-phase
Low energy vibrations
Optical phonons
Atoms of different types move out-of-phase
High energy vibration

27

Phonon Scattering
Phonons scatter carriers by creating small
fluctuating dipoles between atoms
(piezoelectric mode).
Phonons scatter carriers by disturbing the
periodicity of the crystal lattice
(deformation potential mode).

28

Alloy Disorder
Electron wavefunction
penetrates into AlGaN
barrier.
Al and Ga atoms are
distributed randomly in
AlGaN
Randomly varying
potential scatters
electrons.
electrons

29

Overview of RFRF-Device Technologies


(Theoretical Thermal Limitations)

30

Advantage of GaN HEMT Device

Si vs GaN technology

31

GaN Applications

32

GaN Nanotubes
Single Crystal Nanotubes
fabricated
Gallium Nitride nanotubes
have diameter between 30
200 nm

33

GaN Laser Diode


Normally emit ultraviolet
radiation
Indium doping allows variation in
band gap size
Band gap energies range from
0.7eV 3.4eV
Applications in:
Blu-Ray technology
Laser Printing
http://www.lbl.gov/Science-Articles/Archive/assets/images/2002/Dec-17-2002/indium_LED.jpg

34

Blu--ray Disc
Blu

35

GaN Solar Cells


Indium doped (InGaN
(InGaN))
Conversion of many wavelengths for energy
Theoretical 70% maximum conversion rate.

Multiple layers attain higher efficiency.


Need many layers to attain 70%
Lattice matching not an issue

Advantages:
High heat capacity
Resistant to effects of strong radiation
High efficiency
Difficulties:
Too many crystal layers create system damaging stress
Too expensive
36

Comparison - bulbs vs. LEDs

37

High Power Rectifiers

SiC high power rectifier product


Current ratings of 1A to 20A at 600V,
and 5A to 10A at 1200V
http://www.cree.com

The applications of IGBT modules


- UPS Power Supply,Servo Drive, Medical
Power Supply, Motor Drives, Inverters
http://www.pwrx.com

Objective
Develop GaN-based rectifiers at power levels above 1MW

38

Military Applications
Electronic warfare
Broadband and high-power microwave emission

Interrupt and jam RF signals

AESA Radar
Arrays of hundreds or thousands T/R modules
Phase shifted to form and steer the beam
So many modules place a premium on size, weight, power
efficiency and high power performance

Tactical Radio Communications


To operate over a frequency range of 30-3000 MHz at power
levels up to 100W,
Accommodate portable, manpack and vehicle mount form
39

GaN Device Manufacturers


Cree is the biggest US GaN chipmakers
Raytheon is running project on X to Ku-band
(7-11.2 GHz) applications
TriQuint has independent program for S-band
(2-4GHz) and wideband (6-18GHz) MMICs
Northrop Grumman has MMIC project for Kuband (7-11GHz).
40

RF Device Technology Comparison

Pricing of LDMOS has reached ~$0.20s/W. Does GaN HEMT


compete this price?
41

Thank you to participate in


this course
Hope all of you enjoy this course and enhance
knowledge as well
Good Luck for exam

42

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