Master in Nanoscience

Low dimensional
systems and nanostructures

High Electron Mobility Transistor

(HEMT)

2008-30-01

Student: Giuseppe Foti

 TOPICS

• Advantages

• Types of HEMTs

• Structure 2 DEG formation

• Working principle Electrons at the interface

Charge control
• Figures of merit

• Conclusions
 Advantages

Same functional structure of traditional MESFET but

compositionally different layers are grown in order to
optimize and extend its performance. In the MESFET
MESFET charge transport takes place in a highly doped
material. As a consequence, energy losses due to
scattering are high.

Highly doped material

In the HEMT the conduction channel is a
bidimensional electron gas (2DEG) confined at the
interface between two materials with different bandgap
instead of a threedimensional structure like in
conventional FETs. The 2DEG takes place in a slightly
doped material. As a result, it has significantly less
Coulomb scattering, resulting in a very high mobility
device structure.

Slightly doped material

 Advantages

Same functional structure of traditional MESFET but

compositionally different layers are grown in order to
optimize and extend its performance. In the MESFET
MESFET charge transport takes place in a highly doped
material. As a consequence, energy losses due to
scattering are high.

Highly doped material

In the HEMT the conduction channel is a
bidimensional electron gas (2DEG) confined at the
interface between two materials with different bandgap
High speed Low noise instead of a threedimensional structure like in
conventional FETs. The 2DEG takes place in a slightly
High gain High power density doped material. As a result, it has significantly less
Coulomb scattering, resulting in a very high mobility
device structure.
 Types of HEMTs

Lattice-matched HEMTs: same lattice

constant

Non-lattice matched or pseudomorphic

HEMT (pHEMT): slightly different lattice
constants

metamorphic HEMT (mHEMT): a buffer

layer is grown between materials with different
lattice costant

Examples

Lattice matched: AlGaAs/GaAs, AlInAs/InGaAs/InP

Metamorphic: AlInAs/InGaAs/GaAs, AlInSb/InSb

Non-lattice matched: AlGaAs/InGaAs/GaAs,

SiGe/Si
 AlGaAs/GaAs HEMT structure
diffused or deposited Epitaxially grown

low-resistance ohmic contacts

thin Schottky layer

source of electrons
separates the 2DEG from the ionized
donors of the n+ active layer

high mobility layer

isolates defects from the substrate and
creates a smooth surface

insulating substrate
 Working principle
2 DEG formation

Charge transfer takes place across the interface to equalize

the Fermi energy on both sides. Electrons from the donor
impurities of the highly doped n-type Ga1-xAlxAs are
transferred to the conduction band of the nearly intrinsic
p-type GaAs.
Positively charged donor ions are therefore left near the
interface on the n-type side and negatively charged
acceptor ions are left near the interface on the p-type side.

Under suitable conditions the conduction band edge on

the p-type side can dip below the Fermi energy and produce
a region whose states are occupied by conduction electrons
that form a 2DEG. Since this region is on the side with
nearly intrinsic material, there are very few ionized
impurities to scatter the electrons, and consequently very
high mobilities can be achieved in the 2DEG.
 Working principle
Electrons at the interface
Triangular quantum well

e F z z > 0
V ( z) =  for z≤0 χ (z ) = 0 No penetration
∞ z≤0 in the barrier

 h2 ∂2 
 − * 2
+ e F z  χ ( z ) = ε n χ ( z )
 2m ∂z 
 Working principle
Electrons at the interface

 2m* 1/ 3 
χ (z ) = const ⋅ Ai  2 2 2  (e F z − ε )
 h e F  

1/ 3
 2m * 
p =  2 2 2  (e F z − ε )
h e F 

We obtain the following quantization

of the energy:
1/ 3
h e F 
2 2 2
ε n = − *
 pn
 2 m 

Where pn are the zeros of the Airy function

 Working principle
Electrons at the interface
More accurate analisys
Low potential barrier at the Penetration in the barrier
AlGaAs/GaAs interface (0.2-0.4eV)

Interaction between electrons

Impurity potential (ns comparable with NA )

 h2 ∂2 
− + V0 ( z ) + Vimp ( z ) + Vee ( z ) χ n ( z ) = ε n χ n ( z )
 2m* ∂z 2 

V0(z) = heterojunction potential energy

Vimp(z) = ionized impurity potential energy
Vee = electrons interaction potential energy

2mbVb
χ (z ) = A e k z
b
for z ≤ 0 kb ≈
h2
 Working principle
Electrons at the interface
If the concentration ND of donor impurities in the
Ground state wavefunction barrier material is increased, the charge transfer is
increased, since the surface concentration of carriers
in the channel is:

ns α ( N D )
1/ 2

An increased transfer of carriers leads to more

effective screening of channel impurities, but
produces at the same time increased scattering
by the ionized impurities in the barrier.

The scattering can be reduced by

inserting an undoped spacer layer
 Working principle
Charge control

Normally-on
Normally-off

The depletion region extends through both a thin

AlGaAs layer and the junction. The bottom of the
quantum well shifts up. The Fermi level lies under
the lowest energy subband. Thus there are no
electrons inside the channel and the conductivity
along the heterostructure is almost zero. To turn on
the conductivity of the device, it is necessary to
apply a positive voltage to the metal gate.
 Working principle
Charge control

Normally-on
In this case the built-in voltage drops
across a thick AlGaAs layer so that the
Fermi level lies above the lowest subband
and electrons populate the channel without
an external voltage bias. This channel has
a finite conductivity under normal conditions.
To turn off the conductivity of the device, it
is necessary to apply a negative voltage to
the metal gate.
 Figures of merit

∂I DS
gm =
∂VGS VDS = const

CG CG
g m sat = =
ttr L / vsat
vsat saturation velocity
L channel length
εr relative dielectric constant
Wg gate width
deff effective gate-to-channel separation
nchannel sheet charge density
nc reference sheet concentration
 Figures of merit

∂I DS
gm =
∂VGS VDS = const

CG CG
g m sat = =
ttr L / vsat
vsat saturation velocity
L channel length ε r ⋅ vsat Wg 1
gm =
εr relative dielectric constant 2
Wg gate width d eff  n 
 
deff effective gate-to-channel separation 1+  c 
nchannel sheet charge density n
 channel 
nc reference sheet concentration
 Figures of merit

gm
fT = f I out / I in =1
=
2π (C gs + C gd )

NF = 2π f C gs
(R g + Rs )
gm
 Conclusions
• High power density

• Very good high frequency characteristics

• Low on-resistance

• High temperature stability (wide bandgap materials)

• Surface defects Leakage current,

thermal generation
• Electromigration Gate, drain, and
source contacts

• Epitaxial growth High costs