Work

1200-V Fully Vertical GaN-on-Silicon p-i-n Diodes With Avalanche Capability and High On-State Current Above 10 A

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: We report on fully vertical gallium nitride (GaN)-on-silicon (Si) p-i-n diodes delivering above 1200-V soft breakdown voltage (BV). Temperature dependence measurements indicate avalanche breakdown capability reflecting the high-quality processing and epitaxy growth. The ON-state characteristics of the fabricated vertical p-i-n diodes reveal on-resistances ranging from 0.48 m$\Omega \cdot $cm2 for small anode to 1.7 m$\Omega \cdot $cm2 for large anode diameters (i.e., 1 mm). The ON-state resistance increase is attributed to the thermal dissipation issues. Nevertheless, the large devices exhibit high ON-state current close to 12 A owing to an optimized process, including a deep mesa etch as edge terminations and thick Cu layer for heat sink on the backside enabled by a polyimide passivation that strengthen the mechanical robustness of the membranes. To the best of our knowledge, this represents the first demonstration of fully vertical 1200-V GaN-based devices grown on Si substrates with high-current operation above 10 A, corresponding to a Baliga figure of merit (BFOM) of 3 GW/cm2.

Source: IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices

DOI: 10.1109/ted.2024.3496440

Authors: Youssef Hamdaoui, Sondre Michler, Adrien Bidaud, Katir Ziouche, Farid Medjdoub

Institutions: Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université de Lille, Institut d'Electronique, de Microélectronique et de Nanotechnologie

Language: English

Topic: GaN-based semiconductor devices and materials

Subfield: Condensed Matter Physics

Field: Physics and Astronomy

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: green

Funders: European Commission, Agence Nationale de la Recherche, Electronic Components and Systems for European Leadership

Awards: Vertical GaN on Silicon: Wide Band Gap Power at Silicon Cost, G434337789, G6982286564, Vertical GaN for High Voltage