Analysis of breakdown voltage for GaN MIS-HEMT with various composite field plate configurations and passivation layers

The effects of different field plate designs on the breakdown voltage of GaN Metal-insulator-semiconductor high electron mobility transistors (MIS-HEMTs) were examined in this study. The study's primary goal was to determine the dependence of breakdown voltage with respective to composite field plate designs using TCAD simulation. For devices with G-FP only, a fixed gate to drain distance of 15 μm and a fixed G-FP to drain distance of 15 μm, the maximum breakdown voltage was reached when the G-FP was 1 μm. Breakdown voltage trends were also determined for composite field plate configurations, such as adding a source field plate (S-FP) or a drain field plate (D-FP) with a fixed 1 μm G-FP length. A further enhanced breakdown performance was demonstrated by employing novel D-FP structure. A single D-FP improves the breakdown voltage from 1.4 kV (conventional breakdown voltage with 1um G-FP) to 1.6 kV when combined with 1 μm G-FP, while the novel two-step D-FP achieves a breakdown voltage of about 1.7 kV when combined with 1 μm G-FP. We also investigated the influence of high-k dielectric passivation layers on the breakdown voltage. The breakdown voltage of the devices with optimized G-FP can be further improved by using high-k dielectric material as a passivation layer. The thorough investigations contribute to a better understanding of GaN MIS-HEMT breakdown characteristics and prospective pathways for improving their performance via unique field plate designs and superior dielectric materials.