Optical and Electrical Properties of AlGaN-Based High Electron Mobility Transistors and Photodetectors with AlGaN/AlN/GaN Channel-Stacking Structure

Abstract

High channel current of the high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) and high relative responsivity of the photodetectors (PDs) were demonstrated in the AlGaN/AlN/GaN channel-stacking epitaxial structures. The interference properties of the X-ray curves indicated high-quality interfaces of the conductive channels. The AlGaN/AlN/GaN interfaces were observed clearly in the transmission electron microscope micrograph. The saturation Ids currents of the HEMT structures were increased by adding a number of channels. The conductive properties of the channel-stacking structures corresponded to the peaks of the transconductance (gm) spectra in the HEMT structures. The depletion-mode one- and two-channel HEMT structures can be operated at the cutoff region by increasing the reverse Vgs bias voltages. Higher Ids current in the active state and lower current in the cutoff state were observed in the two-channel HEMT structure compared with one- and three-channel HEMT structures. For the channel-stacking metal-semiconductor-metal photodetector structures, the peak responsivity was observed at almost 300 nm incident monochromic light, which was increased by adding a number of channel layers. The channel current of the HEMT devices and the photocurrent in the PD devices were increased by adding a number of two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) channels. By using a flat gate metal layer, the two-channel AlGaN/AlN/GaN HEMT structures exhibited a high Ids current, a low cutoff current, and a high peak gm value and have the potential for GaN-based power devices, fast portable chargers, and ultraviolet PD applications.