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A Dielectrically Modulated GaN/AlN/AlGaN

MOSHEMT with a Nanogap Embedded Cavity for
Biosensing Applications

Aasif Mohammad Bhat, Arathy Varghese, Nawaz Shafi & C. Periasamy

To cite this article: Aasif Mohammad Bhat, Arathy Varghese, Nawaz Shafi & C. Periasamy (2021):
A Dielectrically Modulated GaN/AlN/AlGaN MOSHEMT with a Nanogap Embedded Cavity for
Biosensing Applications, IETE Journal of Research, DOI: 10.1080/03772063.2020.1869593

To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/03772063.2020.1869593

Published online: 17 Jan 2021.

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IETE JOURNAL OF RESEARCH
https://doi.org/10.1080/03772063.2020.1869593

A Dielectrically Modulated GaN/AlN/AlGaN MOSHEMT with a Nanogap

Embedded Cavity for Biosensing Applications
Aasif Mohammad Bhat , Arathy Varghese ∗ , Nawaz Shafi and C. Periasamy

Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, Malaviya National Institute of Technology, 302017 Jaipur, India

ABSTRACT KEYWORDS
In this work, GaN/AlN/AlGaN MOS-HEMT with a cavity below the gate towards the drain side is Biosensor;
studied for its sensitivity analysis and viability as a biosensor. The analysis is done by dielectric modu- Dielectric-modulated; DNA;
lation of the cavity region to emulate the presence of different dielectric biomolecules and charged Embedded cavity;
biomolecules by interface charge variation. MOSFET-based dielectrically modulated sensors have GaN/AlGaN; HEMT
been a success experimentally and this work extends and demonstrates this concept with GaN HEMT.
The device performance is evaluated through the shift in threshold voltage (V th ) and drain current
(IDS ), which are used as performance metrics. The proposed device structure simulations were per-
formed with ATLAS Silvaco device simulation tool which depicts the bio-immobilization in the cavity
leads to the changes in electrostatic properties like conduction band offset, two-dimensional elec-
tron gas (2DEG) sheet carrier concentration and channel potential. The simulation analysis reveals
V th and IDS shift up to 1.1 V and 153.7 mA/mm for the neutral biomolecules, whereas for deoxyribo
nucleic acid, the shift is up to 0.30 mV and 65.2 mA/mm, respectively, implying a highly sensitive
device. The AlGaN layer thickness and cavity fill height variations on device sensitivity are also
reported.

1. INTRODUCTION
The early detection of disease-causing pathogens in the
wake of life-threatening diseases and globally trans-
mitted outbreaks has led to the increased demand for
biomolecular analyte monitoring and point-ofcare test-
ing (POCT). The research community aims for the
applications of environmental monitoring at the macro-
scale and bimolecular interactions at the nano-scale. The
inception of the biosensor owes to the work of Bergveld
[1], who proposed the ion-sensitive field-effect transis-
tor (FET) sensing charged biomolecules with low cost,
high sensitivity, rapid response and label-free detection,
though it could not sense neutral biomolecules. Since
then a large number of silicon-based FET semiconduc-
tor nanostructures have been used to detect biological
analytes because of its well-known properties and estab-
lished fabrication methods. The concept of dielectric-
modulated (DM) FET device with a cavity under the
gate towards both the source and drain allowed the neu-
tral biomolecule detection also [2]. A label-free DM FET
biosensor with the ability to detect both the neutral and
charged biomolecules was proposed by Kim et al. [3],
taking into account both the dielectric and charge associ-
ated with the biomolecule. However, chemical instability
of silicon to biological agents in aqueous solutions and
low sensitivity limits its utility in bioelectronic devices.
The quest to develop a highly sensitive and robust biosen-
sor has led research focus on advanced materials like
Molybdenum disulphide (MoS2 ) [4] and Gallium Nitride
(GaN), because of the favorable properties of superior
biocompatibility and chemical stability [5,6].
GaN-based biosensors have become a rapidly emerg-
ing research domain because of its excellent sensitivity,
reduced dimensions, quick response, simple detection
and possibilities of multi-array biosensor integration.
These advantages stem from the inherent properties of
chemically stable bulk and surface properties, providing
lower linear drift, higher mobility and higher satura-
tion velocity giving faster response [7]. The polariza-
tion of GaN/AlGaN HEMT generates the electric field
which pulls the surface state electrons to the empty con-
duction band (CB) states at the heterojunction which
results in 2DEG formation [8,9]. The availability of 2DEG
channel with high-density sheet charge concentration
along with high mobility allows eminent sensitive detec-
tion of surface charge phenomena [10]. Due to all these
favorable material attributes, GaN/AlGaN-based HEMT

*Present address: School of Engineering, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF24 3AA, United Kingdom
© 2021 IETE
2 A. M. BHAT ET AL.: GAN/ALN/ALGAN MOSHEMT WITH A NANOGAP EMBEDDED CAVITY
structure provides enhanced sensitivity and increased
accuracy of living biological events with reduced chances
of damage due to static electricity. Many studies regard-
ing GaN/AlGaN material system have come to the fore
for the detection of different gases, biomarkers, pH test-
ing like H2 [11], CO [12], deoxyribo nucleic acid (DNA)
[13], Glucose [14], Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) [15],
Monokine induced by interferon gamma (MIG) [16],
Urea [17] and pH testing [18], respectively. Various struc-
tures have been developed over the time to enhance the
performance of gateless GaN/AlGaN HEMT [19] with
readout circuitry and reference electrode problems like
Au-gated HEMT [20], Disposable gate HEMT [21] and
Gate-pulsed GaN/AlGaN HEMT [22] architectures with
a subsequent complexity. The output through this work
is a gated MOS-HEMT DM detector as a highly sensi-
tive device capable of detecting both neutral and charged
biomolecules. The use of Al2 O3 passivation ensures uni-
form oxide surface (sensing membrane), low defect den-
sity, chemically stable characteristics, high electrical insu-
lation, high surface site binding density (8 × 1014 /cm2 )
and reduced Fermi pinning [23]. Thus, the proposed
device architecture obviates the issue of readout circuitry
compatibility, reference electrode problems that include
in-deterministic noise and simultaneously provides a
good gate control of each device in array integration. This
paper presents a prototype of HEMT with an embedded
cavity and the rest of the paper is ordered as Section 2
presenting the HEMT device structure and simulation
procedure. The results and discussions are reported in
Section 3 and sensitivity analysis is reported in Section
4, which are later summarized as conclusion.
2. DEVICE STRUCTURE AND SIMULATION
SET-UP
The proposed MOS-HEMT cross-sectional schematic
analyzed in this work is shown in Figure 1. It has a 2 μm
thick undoped buffer of GaN having 2 nm AlN spacer
layer to prevent the scattering of 2DEG and Al0.3 Ga0.70 N
layer of thickness (dAlGaN ) 25 nm over it. These epitaxial
layers can be grown sequentially on a sapphire substrate
with a 30 nm AlN or graded AlGaN nucleation layer to
mitigate the lattice mismatch in between GaN buffer and
substrate. The use of Al2 O3 over Al0.3 Ga0.70 N layer serves
the double purpose of improving biomolecule adhesion
(providing more –OH bonds) and at the same time, its
use will also result in lower leakage as it has higher
bandgap, higher dielectric material ensuring higher bar-
rier for leakages and at the same time provide uni-
form surface, low defect density and higher scalability
[24]. An SiO2 layer of 13 nm thickness is grown over
Al2 O3 . The ohmic source/drain and gate contact work-
function used are 4 and 5 eV which can be realized by
Figure 1: Schematic cross-sectional view of the GaN/AlGaN-
based MOS-HEMT for Biosensing applications with 30 nm
AlN nucleation layer over sapphire substrate, 2 μm bulk GaN,
2 nm AlN spacer layer, Supply layer (Al0.3 Ga0.70 N) of thickness
(dAlGaN ) = 25, 2 nm layer of Al2 O3 over AlGaN layer, cavity
length (Lcavity ) = 0.5 μm, cavity height (hcavity ) = 13 nm,
gate–source separation (LGS ) = 2 μm and gate–drain separation
(LGD ) = 3 μm
Ti/Al/Ni/Au and Ni/Au stack [18], respectively, where
afterwards SiO2 oxide is then etched to create the cav-
ity of length 0.5 μm (Lcavity ) and 13 nm height (hcavity )
on the drain side below a 1 μm gate. The source access
(LGS ) and drain access (LGD ) region span is 2 and 3 μm
for less resistance and mitigated electric field effects,
respectively [25]. The neutral analyte has only dielectric
constant associated with it, while charged biomolecules
have both dielectric constant and charge; therefore, anal-
ysis has been done for both neutral and charged analytes
by introducing them in the cavity below the gate. The
absence of biomolecule or the empty cavity is consid-
ered to have air with dielectric constant (K = 1) and to
consider different analytes in the cavity region its dielec-
tric constant is varied (K > 1) according to the dielec-
tric of the biomolecule. The various neutral analytes are
analyzed by a user-defined oxide material introduced in
the cavity whose dielectric constant is changed accord-
ing to the dielectric of the biomolecule. The various
biomolecules have possibility of being detected through
this method; some of which are listed in Table 1 [26–28].
The charged biomolecules are analyzed by introducing
fixed interface charge density (ρ) in cavity to reflect the
effect of charged biomolecules. The positive charges at
the interface enhance the current (accumulation of car-
riers), whereas the negative charges lower the current
(depletion of carriers), i.e. a change in threshold volt-
age and current occurs which can be used as sensing
metrics. GaN/AlGaN HEMT devices have high mobility
 A. M. BHAT ET AL.: GAN/ALN/ALGAN MOSHEMT WITH A NANOGAP EMBEDDED CAVITY 3

Table 1: Some of the biomolecules with their dielectric con-

stant and type
Name of biomolecule Dielectric constant (K) Type
Uricase [26] 1.54 Neutral
Urease [26] 1.64 Neutral
Streptavidin [27] 2.1 Neutral
Protein [27] 2.5 Neutral
Biotin [28] 2.63 Neutral
Cholesterol Oxidase (ChOx) [26] 3.28 Neutral
Glucose Oxidase (GOx) [26] 3.46 Neutral
APTES [28] 3.57 Neutral
DNA [3] 1–64 Charged

and saturation velocity because of the carrier confine-

ment at heterojunction, consequently slight variation in
drain-to-source voltage has a significant effect on the
drain current. The availability of inherent buried chan-
nel of depletion mode HEMT mitigates ionized and
surface scattering of the carriers which makes them
a quintessential candidate for biosensor applications
[6]. The basic working principle of the GaN/AlGaN
MOSHEMT device is the modulation of polarization
charge density at the heterojunction, as given in Equation
(1) [7]. The modulation of CB offset occurs due to the
introduction of different dielectric biomolecules which
decreases as the analyte dielectric increases. The presence
of charged biomolecules has the same effect as that of gate
bias. The charged (positive/negative) analyte modulate
(increases/decreases) channel charge and hence current
of the device similar to gate bias
 
σ ∈ox ∈AlGaN
Qpol = − [qϕb + EF − ΔEC ] (1)
q q2 dAlGaN
where ∈ox is the permittivity of oxide,∈AlGaN and
dAlGaN are the permittivity and width of the barrier layer,
respectively, qϕb is the gate barrier height of the metal on
the insulator, EF is the Fermi level in reference to CB edge
energy and ΔEC is the CB offset. The threshold voltage
for a MOSHEMT is given in the below equation, which
clearly shows the dependence on the dielectric constant
and thickness of oxide and barrier layer [29]
ϕb ΔEC ϕf qtox qt 2
Vth = − − − ρ − ox nox
q q q ∈ox 2∈ox
 
tox dAlGaN
−q + Qpol
∈ox ∈AlGaN
where ϕb is the gate metal barrier height, EC the CB
offset between the gate insulator and AlGaN, ϕf the sepa-
ration of the Fermi level from the CB of GaN, ρ the charge
density at the barrier/insulator interface,tox , ∈ox and nox
is the thickness, permittivity and average bulk charge
density of oxide, respectively, and Qpol is the polarization
charge density at heterojunction. Therefore, threshold
voltage is dependent on thickness and dielectric constant
of oxide and barrier layer.
Figure 2: Model calibration of simulated results with the experi-
mental results of [30], V DS = 10 V
The simulation methods and models involved were vali-
dated through calibration with the experimental work of
[30] and a good match with the experimentally measured
response was obtained depicting background physics
is accounted appropriately, as shown in Figure 2. Cal-
ibration is an iterative process and the agreement in
experimental and simulated results was obtained by
first fitting pinch-off voltage (tweaking gate work func-
tion = 5.1 eV) and then on-state response by tuning
mobility and saturation velocity. The dimensions of the
device used for calibration are the same as in [30]. The
2D simulation analysis of sensing behavior is performed
for both neutral and charged biomolecules on ATLAS
device simulation tool. The models that were invoked
for simulation study are concentration-dependent mobil-
ity (CONMOB), field-dependent drift velocity (FLD-
MOB), Albrct, Shockley–Read–Hall (SRH), Polarization
and Calc.strain. SRH accounts for recombination effect,
albrct.n is invoked for accounting the low field mobility
effects, CONMOB and FLDMOB to account for veloc-
ity saturation, the polarization effects are taken care by
polarization model and Calc.strain accounts for the adja-
cent region lattice mismatch strain calculations.
(2)
3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS
The MOS-HEMT energy band diagram for biomolecules
of various dielectrics (K’s) with biomolecule charge den-
sity ρ = 0 is shown in Figure 3(a). The cut line has been
drawn below cavity region from AlGaN into the bulk
GaN vertically. Due to the positive offset at oxide and
AlGaN interface, the CB edge experiences an upward
pull at heterojunction with a slight decrease in the extent
of CB edge below Fermi level consequently 2DEG elec-
tron concentration at the heterojunction decreases [31]
and this also decreases channel potential of the cavity
4 A. M. BHAT ET AL.: GAN/ALN/ALGAN MOSHEMT WITH A NANOGAP EMBEDDED CAVITY

Figure 3: MOS-HEMT biosensor. (a) Band diagram with a cut line

drawn from AlGaN into bulk below cavity region and (b) channel
potential for different dielectric of biomolecules in the gate region

region as K increases, as shown in Figure 3(b). Figure 4(a) Figure 4: Transfer characteristics of (a) various neutral
depicts the IDS − VGS characteristics of the MOS-HEMT biomolecules having different dielectric constants and for
visualization (b) Uricase, (c) Biotin, and (d) APTES are also shown
biosensor for different target biomolecules having dif- separately
ferent dielectric constants and ρ = 0, Figure 4(b–d)
are shown to depict the variation in transfer char-
acteristics for Uricase, Biotin and APTES where the
shift in characteristics increases with higher dielectric
biomolecule. Due to the threshold voltage shift in neutral
biomolecules and charged biomolecules like the specific
binding of biomolecules antigen–antibody reactions or
DNA hybridization can be identified electrically with
ease eliminating the cumbersome and time-consuming
labeling processes. The magnitude of performance met-
ric, i.e. threshold voltage and drain ON current, is
insignificant from sensitivity point of view, rather the rel- Figure 5: Output characteristics of MOS-HEMT for differ-
ative change in these values is of more interest as it repre- ent dielectric constant biomolecules (a) V DS = 0 V and (b)
sents the device sensitivity. The device output character- V DS = −4 V
istics for various biomolecules are shown in Figure 5(a,b).
There is a relative shift of characteristics in downwards Table 2: Relative change in drain current and threshold volt-
direction, i.e. current decreases as the target biomolecules age for different dielectrics of biomolecules
dielectric constant increases. Also Figure 5(b) shows Change in
more relative change of characteristics, i.e. more sensitiv- Change in threshold ΔVth
current ΔIDS ΔIDS voltage ΔVth (mV)
ity. This is because the device is biased at VGS = −4 Vi.e. Biomolecule (mA/mm) (μA/mm) [32] (V) [32]
near maximum transconductance region. The analysis Uricase 35.1 374.7 0.3058 47–160
atVGS = 0 V (with no gate voltage applied) is done to Urease 41.3 0.4010
Streptavidin 70.6 0.5124
obtain the pure effect of biomolecules on conduction and Protein 94.9 0.7001
not the effect of applied gate bias. The change in threshold Biotin 103.2 0.8156
voltage and drain current in floating gate configuration ChOx 138.4 0.9778
GOx 147.1 1.0895
for various biomolecules of different dielectrics is listed APTES 153.7 1.1250
in Table 2.

The other category of biomarkers has charge associated
with them besides dielectric constant. These are mostly
negatively charged like DNA, PSA, MIG, KIM-1, breast
cancer biomarker (c-erbB-2) etc. Therefore, the effect of
charge density variation on the device electrical char-
acteristics is also analyzed, as depicted in Figure 6(a,b)
where Figure 6(a) represents the IDS − VGS characteris-
tics for different charge densities (different ρ and K = 2)
and Figure 6(b) represents the output characteristics
showing a relative change in characteristics to detect a
particular biomolecule species. The effect of charge dis-
parity is emulated by varying the charge density from
 A. M. BHAT ET AL.: GAN/ALN/ALGAN MOSHEMT WITH A NANOGAP EMBEDDED CAVITY 5

Figure 6: Variation of electrical characteristics for different

charge ρ in the cavity. (a) Transfer characteristics and (b) output
characteristics

Table 3: Relative change in drain current and threshold volt-

age for different charge densities (different ρ’s and K = 2) of
biomolecules
Change in Figure 7: Channel conductance variation for different (a)
current Change in dielectrics and (b) charge densities. Relative change in conduc-
Biomolecule (mA/mm) threshold Vth(ChargedBio) tance for different (c) dielectrics of biomolecules and (d) charge
charge (ρ) ΔIDS(ChargedBio) (V)ΔVth(ChargedBio) (mV) [32]
densities of biomolecules
3 × 1012 122.6 0.2011 0.1–0.5
1 × 1012 54.3 0.1540
−3 × 1011 22.5 0.0781
−5 × 1011 39.9 0.0952 shows a decrease for higher k biomolecules, as observed
−1 × 1012 65.2 0.3001 from Figure 7(a). Upon the appearance of biomolecules
−3 × 1012 259.4 0.6102
−5 × 1012 501.8 1.002 with different charge density in the cavity gd changes, as
represented in Figure 7(b). As the negative charge density
increases, gd decreases rapidly proving the device resis-
3 × 1012 /cm2 to −5 × 1012 /cm2 which forms the detec- tance enhancement due to capacitive coupling of extra
tion limit of this device and the relative shift is listed in charged biomolecules in the cavity. The channel conduc-
Table 3. When a charged biomolecule such as DNA is tance shows a rapid fall to 25 mS/mm at 8 V depicting a
immobilized inside the cavity, the electrical characteris- good carrier confinement and device stability. The rela-
tics are affected by both dielectric constant and charge tive change in the channel conductance gd for neutral
density of biomolecule. The influence of charge neutral- biomolecules is shown in Figure 7(c). The minimum and
ization in solution is also investigated for both thresh- maximum relative change of 5 and 30 mS/mm is observed
old voltage and drain current shift similar to reported in APTES and Uricase, respectively. Also, the higher
earlier [33]. Actually, salt concentration to hold DNA charge densities show more relative change in channel
molecules intact in the solution is high as the phos- conductance as shown in Figure 7(d). Therefore, the pro-
phate group being there in DNA molecule makes it a posed device shows a resistive behavior of channel with
highly negatively charged biomolecule therefore when the drain bias and can be thought of as a resistive sensor.
put into the solution, charge neutralization occurs to
some extent which decreases charge associated with 4. SENSITIVITY ANALYSIS
DNA. This effect has been captured by varying the charge
density of DNA from −1 × 1012 /cm2 to −1 × 1011 /cm2 The introduction of different biomolecules in the cav-
[3, 34] including highly charged and somewhat neutral- ity affects the electrical characteristics which changes Vth
ized DNA molecule. Therefore, charge disparity mani- and IDS corresponding to the dielectric and charge den-
fests itself as ΔVth and ΔIDS . From Figure 6(a,b), it is sity of the target biomolecule. Therefore, threshold volt-
observed that biomolecules with negative charge den- age and drain current shift can be measured and used as
sities have more relative change than positive charge electrical parameters to identify the biomolecule species.
density. The device shows a good initial channel conduc- Also in this context, we define threshold voltage sensitiv-
tance gd = 300 mS/mm. As gd is a performance metric, ity and drain ON current sensitivity for the neutral and
its higher value allows a good sensing performance [35]. charged biomolecules as
Initially, the channel conductance is the same for dif-
ferent biomolecules (different K’s and ρ = 0); however, S   (3)
V Air −V Bio
Vth = th th
it decreases with the increase in drain voltage. Also gd V Air
th
6 A. M. BHAT ET AL.: GAN/ALN/ALGAN MOSHEMT WITH A NANOGAP EMBEDDED CAVITY

 ChargedBio 
NeutralBio − V
Vth th
SVth(ChargedBio) = NeutralBio
(4)
Vth
S   (5)
V Air −V Bio
IDS = th th
V Air
th
 ChargedBio

NeutralBio − I
ION ON
SIDS(ChargedBio) = NeutralBio
(6)
ION

where Vth Air and V Bio are threshold voltage for empty
th
(K = 1) and filled cavity (different K’s and ρ = 0) and
Air and I Bio represent drain ON current for empty
ION ON
(K = 1) and filled cavity (different K’s and ρ = 0), respec-
tively. Also for neutral biomolecules, we define rela-
tive change in threshold voltage as ΔVth = Vth Air − V Bio
th
and relative change in drain current as ΔIDS = ION Air − Figure 8: Shift in threshold voltage for (a) different dielectrics
Bio . Similarly, we define relative change in threshold of biomolecules (K’s) and (b) different charge densities (K = 2
ION
and different ρ’s) and corresponding threshold voltage sensitiv-
voltage and drain current for charged biomolecules as ity characteristics for (c) different dielectrics of biomolecules and
ΔVth(ChargedBio) = (Vth NeutralBio − V ChargedBio ) and (d) different charge densities
th
ChargedBio
ΔIDS(ChargedBio) = (ION
NeutralBio − I
ON ), respectively.
NeutralBio ChargedBio
Vth and Vth
are the threshold voltage of
neutral biomolecule (K = 2) and charged biomolecule
(K = 2, differentρ’s), respectively, ION
NeutralBio and
ChargedBio
ION correspond to the drain ON current of the
neutral (K = 2) and charged biomolecules (K = 2, dif-
ferent ρ’s), respectively, and SVth , SIDS are the neutral
biomolecule sensitivities and SVth(ChargedBio) and
SIDS(ChargedBio) refer to the charged biomolecule sensitivity.
The change in the dielectric constant of the biomolecules
introduced into the cavity varies threshold voltage.
If the dielectric constant of a biomolecule increases,
threshold voltage decreases, as shown in Figure 8(a).
The effect of charged analyte is also studied and the
shift in threshold voltage pattern for K = 2 and differ-
ent charge densities (ρ’s) is as shown in Figure 8(b) Figure 9: Relative drain ON current sensitivity for (a) differ-
depicting an increase in Vth as the positive charge ent dielectrics of biomolecules (different K’s and ρ = 0) at
density increases and Vth decreases for the increase V GS = 0 V, (b) different charge densities (ρ’s) with K = 2, (c) dif-
in biomolecule negative charge density. The sensitivi- ferent dielectrics of biomolecules (different K’s and ρ = 0) at V GS
ties are measured in absolute terms. Figure 8(c) repre- = −4 V, and (d) dielectrics of biomolecules at different charge
densities (K = 3.57, 5, 7, 10 and different ρ’s) calculated from
sents the relative change in threshold voltage for neu-
Equation (6)
tral biomolecules which shows rise with the increase in
dielectric constant of the target biomolecule. The inset
in Figure 8(c) shows the sensitivity pattern for respective of MOSHEMT, a relative change in IDS is plotted for
biomolecules of different dielectric constants. Figure 8(d) different VDS and VGS . Figure 9(a) depicts the charac-
shows the relative change in threshold voltage pattern teristics for different dielectric target biomolecules with
for charged biomolecules showing higher threshold volt- respect to the drain voltage without any gate bias. The
age shift when the negative charge density increases graph depicts an increase in relative change or sensi-
when compared with positive charge density. The inset tivity of drain current as the drain voltage and dielec-
of Figure 8(d) shows the bar graph representation of tric constant of the biomolecule species increases. The
sensitivity for different charge densities (K = 2) depict- maximum and minimum relative change observed is
ing the effect of charge density variation. To observe 153.7 mA/mm for APTES (K = 3.57) and 35.1 mA/mm
the effect of drain and gate voltages on the sensitivity for Uricase (K = 1.54), respectively. The sensitivity for
 A. M. BHAT ET AL.: GAN/ALN/ALGAN MOSHEMT WITH A NANOGAP EMBEDDED CAVITY
Figure 10: Variation of input and output characteristics for DNA
charge densities (ρ) in the cavity for K = 5. (a) Transfer character-
istics (inset shows the threshold voltage sensitivity) and (b) drain
ON current sensitivity characteristics
different charge densities is represented in Figure 9(b),
where we observe an enhancement in sensitivity as the
negative charge density increases. The maximum rela-
tive change in drain current observed is 501.8 mA/mm
for ρ = −5 × 1012 /cm2 and 22.5 mA/mm for ρ = 3 ×
1012 /cm2 . The sensitivity is also shown for a gate bias
of VGS = −4V in Figure 8(c) showing increased sen-
sitivity with respect to no gate bias. The effect of neg-
atively charged biomolecules is also studied for higher
dielectrics. Figure 9(d) depicts the drain ON current
sensitivity for various dielectrics with different charges
associated with them. The graph depicts that the sensi-
tivity of a particular dielectric biomolecule increase as
the negative charge density associated with it increases.
Also, the sensitivity for charged biomolecule shows a
decreasing trend with the increase in the dielectric of
the biomolecule implying a greater sensitivity when
the dielectric of biomolecule is lower, i.e. biomolecule
charge has dominating effect; however as dielectric of
the biomolecule increases, the charge effect diminishes.
As already pointed out neutralization of charge density
corresponding to DNA are analyzed, the sensitivity char-
acteristics are given in Figure 10(a) which shows the
transfer characteristics of the device for varying charge
densities in the cavity, the inset depicts the threshold volt-
age sensitivity. Figure 10(b) depicts the ON current sensi-
tivity showing the highest sensitivity for most negatively
charged biomolecule. The obtained results are compared
with [33] implying normally ON device shows better per-
formance for biosensing applications from the sensitivity
point of view.
4.1 Impact of AlGaN Layer Thickness on
Sensitivity
The effect of geometrical parameters like barrier layer
thickness dAlGaN and fill height in cavity hcavity on the
7
Figure 11: Threshold voltage variation for different (a) dielectric
of biomolecules and (b) AlGaN layer thickness and (c) threshold
voltage sensitivity for different dielectrics and AlGaN layer thick-
ness. (d) Drain on current sensitivity for different dielectrics and
AlGaN layer thickness
performance metrics is also analyzed. For this pur-
pose, the device with barrier layer thickness of 20,
25 and 30 nm was investigated. The threshold voltage
shows an increase as the AlGaN thickness increases
from 20 to 30 nm for any dielectric of biomolecule, as
shown in Figure 11(a). ΔVth for considered dielectrics of
biomolecules (K = 1–3.57) increases from 1 V for 20 nm
to 1.2 V for 30 nm AlGaN thickness, as depicted in
Figure 11(b). Figure 11(c) represents the threshold volt-
age sensitivity pattern for different AlGaN layer thickness
and dielectric of biomolecules, depicting an increase in
sensitivity for higher dielectric of biomolecule and slight
increase for the thickness of AlGaN layer. The bar graph
pattern for output current sensitivity are also shown
in Figure 11(d) showing there is an increase in drain
ON current sensitivity with the decrease in AlGaN layer
thickness, because a thinner barrier will be more sensitive
to the surface phenomena. However, there is a constraint
of maximum and minimum AlGaN layer thickness for
proper operation of the device as increasing it too much
will lead to a larger distance between surface and chan-
nel and decreasing it too much so that it becomes less
than the critical thickness of AlGaN layer leading to
no 2DEG/channel formation [10]. Therefore, sensitivity
optimization is done by choosing dAlGaN = 25 nm.
4.2 Impact of Fill Height on Sensitivity
In a practical environment, there is a possibility that
the cavity under the gate may not get completely filled
with the biomolecule under investigation; therefore, it is
imperative to account for fill height of biomolecule in the
8 A. M. BHAT ET AL.: GAN/ALN/ALGAN MOSHEMT WITH A NANOGAP EMBEDDED CAVITY
Figure 12: Comparison of half-filled and fully filled cavity, for
different dielectrics of neutral biomolecules (a) threshold volt-
age sensitivity (SVth ), (b) drain ON current sensitivity (SIDS )
and for different charged biomolecules (c) threshold volt-
age sensitivity SVth(ChargedBio) and (d) drain current sensitivity
SIDS(ChargedBio) calculated from equations (3) to (6).
analysis. The device behavior and sensitivity analysis are
therefore studied for its fill height, i.e. fully filled and half-
filled cavity (considering air on the top of the biomolecule
in remaining portion). For this purpose, the threshold
voltage and drain current variations are investigated in
terms of absolute sensitivity. From the sensitivity point of
view, a partially filled cavity has lower threshold voltage
sensitivity, as shown in Figure 12(a). For similar dielec-
tric constant target biomolecules (ρ = 0), a fully filled
cavity is more sensitive. This is due to the modulation of
the equivalent dielectric of the cavity region. The drain
current sensitivity for various considered biomolecules
(different K and ρ = 0) is also shown in Figure 12(b) at
VDS = 12 V and no gate bias. The bar graph representa-
tion depicts a fully filled cavity has higher sensitivity with
respect to a partially filled cavity. Figure 12(c) depicts the
sensitivity variations for the charged biomolecule depict-
ing an increase in threshold voltage sensitivity with the
increase in the charge of biomolecule, as already shown in
Figure 6(a,b). However, there is not much change in drain
current sensitivity, as shown in Figure 12(d), implying the
dominance of charge over fill height of biomolecule. The
various biomolecules considered in this study were ana-
lyzed in terms of their shift in drain current and threshold
voltage. The outcomes of this work are summarized in
Tables 2 and 3.
5. CONCLUSION
GaN/AlGaN HEMT with a cavity below gate on the
drain side is reported. The shift in electrical charac-
teristics is used for detection of different neutral and
charged biomolecule species. ΔVth and ΔIDS obtained
for the considered neutral biomolecules is in the range
of 305 mV–1.12 V and 35.1–153.7 mA/mm, respectively.
The analyzed DNA biomolecule charge density shows
a shift of Vth and IDS up to 0.30 V and 65.2 mA/mm.
The variations in geometrical aspects of the device reveal
a properly chosen AlGaN thickness and maximum fill
height render the best sensitivity. The obtained char-
acteristics and enhanced performance metrics reassure
the feasibility of the device for high-sensitivity intelligent
biomedical applications.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The authors would like to extend their sincere gratitude to
Department of Science and Technology-Science and Engineer-
ing Research Board for providing financial support through the
sponsored project [Grant no: YSS/2015/000174] to carry out
this research work.
FUNDING
This work was supported by Science and Engineering Research
Board: [Grant Number YSS/2015/000174].
ORCID
Aasif Mohammad Bhat http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4767
-9885
Arathy Varghese http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5379-1772
Nawaz Shafi http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5999-1350
C. Periasamy http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1992-804X
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Authors
Aasif Mohammad Bhat is working
towards his PhD degree in the Depart-
ment of Electronics and Communication,
Malaviya National Institute of Technology,
Jaipur, India. He received his BE degree in
ECE from University of Kashmir in 2010
and MTech degree in ECE from Jamia Mil-
lia Islamia New Delhi, India, in 2018. His
research interest includes modeling, sim-
ulation and fabrication of transistor-based sensors.
E-mail: 2018rec9057@mnit.ac.in
Arathy Varghese is working towards her
PhD degree in the Department of Elec-
tronics and Communication, Malaviya
National Institute of Technology, Jaipur,
India. She received her BTech degree in
ECE from Government College of Engi-
neering and Management Punnapra, Ker-
ala, India, in 2013, and MTech degree in
VLSI and embedded system from Saintgits
College of Engineering Kottayam, Kerala, India, in 2015. Her
research interest includes modeling, simulation and fabrication
of transistor-based sensors.
E-mail: Varghesea@cardiff.ac.uk
33. Ajay, R.Narang, M.Saxena, and M.Gupta, “Drain current
model of a four-gate dielectric modulated MOSFET for
application as a biosensor,” IEEE Trans. Electron Devices,
Vol. 62, no. 8, pp. 2636–44, Jun. 2015.
34. C. H. Kim, C. Jung, K. B. Lee, H. G. Park, and Y. K.
Cho, “Label-free DNA detection with a nanogap embedded
complementary metal oxide semiconductor,” Nanotechnol-
ogy, Vol. 22, pp. 135502, Feb. 2011.
35. A. Varghese, C. Periasamy, and L. Bhargava, “Ana-
lytical modeling and simulation-based investigation of
AlGaN/AlN/GaN bioHEMT sensor for c-erbB-2 detec-
tion,” IEEE Sensors J., Vol. 18, no. 23, pp. 9595–603, Sep.
2018.
Nawaz Shafi is working towards his PhD
degree in the Department of Electronics
and Communication, Malaviya National
Institute of Technology, Jaipur, India. His
research interest includes modeling, sim-
ulation and fabrication of transistor-based
sensors.
E-mail: 2017rec9021@mnit.ac.in
C. Periasamy received BE degree in ECE
from Periyar University, Tamil Nadu, in
2002 and PhD degree in Electronics Engi-
neering from IIT-BHU, Varanasi, India,
in 2011.He is now working as an Assis-
tant Professor in the Department of ECE,
MNIT, Jaipur, India. He has published
more than 65 papers in various interna-
tional journals and conference proceed-
ings. His research interest covers nanomaterial-based elec-
tronic and piezoelectric devices.
Corresponding author. E-mail: cpsamy.ece@mnit.ac.in