High Performance Vertical GaN-on-GaN p-n Power Diodes With Hydrogen-Plasma-Based Edge Termination

Abstract

This letter reports the first implementation of a hydrogen-plasma-based edge termination technique (HPET) in vertical GaN p-n power diodes grown on bulk GaN substrates using metalorganic chemical vapor deposition. The device with a 9-μm-thick drift layer exhibited a high breakdown voltage (V <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">bd</sub> ) of 1.57 kV, a low ON-resistance (R <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">ON</sub> ) of 0.45 mQ · cm <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sup> (or 0.70 mQ · cm <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sup> with current spreading considered) and a high Baliga's figure-of-merit (V <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">bd</sub> <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sup> /R <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">ON</sub> ) of 5.5 GW/cm <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sup> (or 3.6 GW/cm <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sup> ) without passivation or field plate, which are close to the theoretical limit of GaN. This technique enabled a significant reduction in leakage current (-10 <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">6</sup> times at -300 V) and a huge enhancement in V <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">bd</sub> (from -300 V to 1.57 kV). Furthermore, the device showed good forward characteristics with a turn-ON voltage of 3.5 V, an ON-current of -2 kA/cm <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sup> (or 1.3 kA/cm <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sup> ), an ON/OFF ratio of -10 <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">9</sup> , and an ideality factor of 1.4. This work shows the HPET can serve as an effective, low cost, and easy-to-implement edge termination technique for high voltage and high power GaN p-n power diodes.