Monte Carlo Analysis of Impact Ionization in Isolated-Gate InAs/AlSb High Electron Mobility Transistors

We perform a physical analysis of the kink effect in InAs/AlSb high electron mobility transistors by means of a semiclassical 2D ensemble Monte Carlo simulator. Due to the small bandgap of In As, InAs/AlSb high electron mobility transistors are very susceptible to suffer from impact ionization processes, with the subsequent hole transport through the structure, both implicated in the kink effect. When the drain-to-source voltage V(DS) is high enough for the onset of impact ionization, holes generated tend to pile up at the gate-drain side of the buffer. This occurs due to the valence-band energy barrier between the buffer and the channel. Because of this accumulation of positive charge, the channel is further opened and the drain current I(D) increases, leading to the kink effect in the I-V characteristics.