Trap states in AlGaN/GaN metal-oxide-semiconductor structures with Al2O3 prepared by atomic layer deposition

Abstract

Atomic layer deposition (ALD) of Al2O3 was used to prepare metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) devices on two different_AlGaN/GaN heterostructures, with and without a thin GaN cap layer. Their trapping effects were evaluated by the frequency dependent conductance measurement. The trap state density decreased sharply from ∼1×1012 cm−2 eV−1 at the energy of 0.27 eV to ∼3×1010 cm−2 eV−1 at 0.45 eV. The low trap state density and exactly exponential dependence of the trap state time constant on the gate voltage show a good quality of the gate oxide. The trap state density in the structure with a GaN cap is about 2–3 times lower than that in the structure without a cap, which might be due to the different Al2O3/GaN and Al2O3/AlGaN interface properties. The trap state density in the structures investigated is lower than those reported for the devices with the metal-organic chemical vapor deposition and Al-oxidized Al2O3 gate oxide. This shows an importance of the ALD technique for the preparation of high-performance AlGaN/GaN MOS transistors.