Lecture 12b

Advanced Field Effect Transistor (FET)

Devices

Reading:
(Cont’d) Notes and Anderson2 Chapter 8.11

Some images from Anderson and Anderson text

Georgia Tech ECE 3080 - Dr. Alan Doolittle
 Advanced Devices: FET Devices
High Electron Mobility Transistor (HEMT)
The cross-sectional schematic (a) of a GaAs-
based Heterostructure Field Effect
Transistor (HFET) or High Electron
Mobility Transistor (HEMT) and (b) the
energy band diagram normal to the
gate.

The Schottky barriers at the metal-AlGaAs

and metal-GaAs interfaces are thin
enough to be of low resistance because
of tunneling.

Doping is removed from the channel

increasing mobility significantly.

Georgia Tech ECE 3080 - Dr. Alan Doolittle

 Advanced Devices: FET Devices
High Electron Mobility Transistor (HEMT)

E2
E1
The channel is a 2D electron gas contained in the triangular quantum well created by the ∆Ec of the AlGaAs-
GaAs heterojunction. Also known as a MODFET, HFET, TEGFET, SDHT.
Advantages:
• The mobility is not degraded by surfaces or interfaces like in a MOSFET. The AlGaAs-GaAs
interface is lattice matched and thus has ZERO interface states.
• In a 2D electron gas (channel) the electron scattering is reduced by a factor of approximately x2/3
making the mobility higher than in bulk. Some of this increase is due to separation of the dopants
from the channel (modulation doping) and a small additional enhancement is due to the quantum
2D nature of the channel.
• Example: Bulk GaN µ~1000-1200 cm2/V-Sec but in an AlN/GaN channel, µ~2000 cm2/V-Sec .
• The device is very fast because the channel thickness can be very precisely controlled (minimized)
making the channel easy to deplete with a small gate voltage.
Georgia Tech ECE 3080 - Dr. Alan Doolittle
 Advanced Devices: FET Devices
Pseudomorphic High Electron Mobility Transistor (PHEMT)

InGaAs InGaAs

GaAs GaAs
or InP or InP
The channel is a a strained lattice 2D electron gas contained in the triangular quantum well created by the
∆Ec the AlGaAs-InGaAs heterojunction.
Advantages:
• Higher channel charge (higher conductivity) due to a higher ∆Ec for InGaAs vs GaAs Channels
• Higher saturation velocity of InGaAs results in higher frequency operation
• Lower Noise.
• Higher mobility of InGaAs results in smaller parasitic resistances and higher low field electron
velocity. InGaAs µ~12,000 cm2/V-Sec. In is typically 15-20% and Channels are typically 11-15
nm.
• The device is very fast because the channel thickness can be very precisely controlled (minimized)
making the channel easy to deplete with a small gate voltage.

Georgia Tech ECE 3080 - Dr. Alan Doolittle

 Advanced Devices: FET Devices
Pseudomorphic High Electron Mobility Transistor (PHEMT)

• Single Heterostructure, Double

Heterostructure and Advanced
InP based HEMTS offer increased
performance gains due to
engineering the channel
differently.

• Primarily one tries to minimize the

channel sheet resistance, Rch by
increasing electron density and
mobility.

• Having larger Dec as found in the

higher In-content InGaAS on InP
helps with noise and linearity since
the channel charge is confined
better.

Georgia Tech ECE 3080 - Dr. Alan Doolittle

 Advanced Devices: FET Devices
High Electron Mobility Transistor (HEMT)

The energy band diagram for an HFET perpendicular to the source

showing the ohmic contact through tunnel junctions.
Georgia Tech ECE 3080 - Dr. Alan Doolittle
 Advanced Devices: FET Devices
MESFET

The ability to have semi-insulating material (ρ ~106 Ω-cm) in compound semiconductors

facilitates the construction of shallow channel (easy to deplete thus fast due to being
highly responsive to voltage changes).
Advantages:
• The mobility is not degraded by surfaces or interfaces like in a MOSFET.
• The device is very fast because the channel thickness can be very precisely
controlled (minimized) making the channel easy to deplete with a small gate
voltage.
• Cheaper than HEMT since only a thin homojunction epitaxial material is
needed on a semi-insulating substrate
• Processing is cheap requiring standard ion implantation and simple
metallization
Georgia Tech ECE 3080 - Dr. Alan Doolittle
 Advanced Devices: FET Devices
MESFET Cross Sectional View
• Cross section of a MESFET
at equilibrium indicating the
depletion regions; (b) the
energy band diagram
perpendicular to the gate.
The channel thickness is t.

• The Gate is a Schottky

barrier, creating the
Schottky depletion region that thins
down the channel.

• Adding a reverse bias to the

gate will pinch off the
channel.

Georgia Tech ECE 3080 - Dr. Alan Doolittle

 Advanced Devices: FET Devices
MESFET with no Drain Voltage

• MESFET energy band diagram and

depletion region (a) at equilibrium
and (b) for an applied gate voltage
that depletes the channel. In the
second case, the channel is still n
type but it is empty of carriers
because of the increased barrier
height.

Georgia Tech ECE 3080 - Dr. Alan Doolittle

 Advanced Devices: FET Devices
MESFET in Linear/Triode Mode

Cross section of a MESFET under small VDS bias and the corresponding energy band diagrams at the source
end and drain end of the gate.

Georgia Tech ECE 3080 - Dr. Alan Doolittle

 Advanced Devices: FET Devices
MESFET 3D Energy Band Diagram

The electron potential energy, (EC) along the channel of a MESFET for VDS < VDSsat. The channel
thickness decreases with increasing distance along the channel.

Georgia Tech ECE 3080 - Dr. Alan Doolittle

 Advanced Devices: FET Devices
MESFET in Pinch off

The same MESFET VDS > VDSsat. At the source, the diagram is the same as before. At the drain,
however, the two depletion regions overlap pinching off the channel.
Georgia Tech ECE 3080 - Dr. Alan Doolittle
 Advanced Devices: FET Devices
Junction FET (JFET)
The energy band diagram, (EC), for VDS = 0

p- substrate
JFET: The yellow shaded areas represent the depletion regions. When VDS > 0 (but not yet in saturation)
the depletion region at the drain end increases, narrowing the channel and increasing the channel
resistance.
Georgia Tech ECE 3080 - Dr. Alan Doolittle
 Advanced Devices: FET Devices
Junction FET (JFET)

p- substrate

p- substrate
JFET: For higher Gate voltages, the channel can be pinched off. In some JFETs, there is a symmetric
gate-channel region even creating a ring and cylindrical channel.

Georgia Tech ECE 3080 - Dr. Alan Doolittle

 Advanced Devices: FET Devices
Vertical Power MOSFET

N+ N+

Since large electric fields (high voltages) must be supported, thick low doped regions must be used. Thus, most power mosfets use a
substantial portion of the substrate as a “drift region” (Green N- region) separate from the “channel region” that controls current flow.
Georgia Tech ECE 3080 - Dr. Alan Doolittle
 Advanced Devices: FET Devices
Insulated Gate Bipolar Junction Transistor

The IGBT is very similar to a n-channel vertical power MOSFET except the n+ drain is replaced
with a p+ collector, creating a vertical PNP bipolar junction transistor.
The IGBT is used in primarily applications above 600 V blocking rating whereas power
MOSFETs are used below 600V.
IGBTs can handle thousands of volts (off state) with minimal leakage currents and conduct 1000s
of amps (on state) with typically a few volts to 10s of volts forward voltage drop (on state).
Georgia Tech ECE 3080 - Dr. Alan Doolittle
 Advanced Devices: FET Devices
Insulated Gate Bipolar Junction Transistor

The additional p+ region creates a cascaded connection of a PNP bipolar junction transistor with the surface n-channel
MOSFET.
This connection results in a significantly lower forward voltage drop compared to a conventional MOSFET. By injecting
minority carriers (holes) from the collector p+ region into the n- drift region during forward conduction, the resistance of
the n- drift region is considerably reduced. This minority carrier injection in power devices is called conductivity
modulation. When in the off state, this conductivity modulation does not occur allowing the low doped drift region to
support very high voltages in the off state.
Since this is a minority carrier device, this results in longer switching time (slower speed) and hence higher switching
losses compared to a power MOSFET.
Georgia Tech ECE 3080 - Dr. Alan Doolittle
 Advanced Devices: FET Devices
Insulated Gate Bipolar Junction Transistor
Transistor /
Two Transistor Thyrister
Model Model

•Cathode/Emitter of IGBT=Source of MOSFET=BJT Collector. This connects to

negative/smallest voltage.
•Drain of MOSFET=Base of BJT=Internal Connection to low doped thick drift
region.
•Anode/Collector of IGBT=Emitter of BJT connects to Positive/Largest voltage.
•Gate turns on Base-Emitter junction turning on emitter –collector current.
•There is actually a buried npn BJT that forces the IGBT to act like a Thyristor.
Georgia Tech ECE 3080 - Dr. Alan Doolittle
 Advanced Devices: FET Devices
Flash Memory MOSFET

Georgia Tech Figures after Dimitrijev, Understanding Semiconductor Devices ECE 3080 - Dr. Alan Doolittle