Search

An improved structure of silicon carbide metal-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MESFET) is proposed for high power microwave applications. Numerical models for the physical and electrical mechanisms of the device are presented, and the static and dynamic electrical performances are analysed. By comparison with the conventional structure, the proposed structure exhibits a superior frequency response while possessing better DC characteristics. A p-type spacer layer, inserted between the oxide and the channel, is shown to suppress the surface trap effect and improve the distribution of the electric field at the gate edge. Meanwhile, a lightly doped n-type buffer layer under the gate reduces depletion in the channel, resulting in an increase in the output current and a reduction in the gate-capacitance. The structural parameter dependences of the device performance are discussed, and an optimized design is obtained. The results show that the maximum saturation current density of 325 mA/mm is yielded, compared with 182 mA/mm for conventional MESFETs under the condition that the breakdown voltage of the proposed MESFET is larger than that of the conventional MESFET, leading to an increase of 79% in the output power density. In addition, improvements of 27% cut-off frequency and 28% maximum oscillation frequency are achieved compared with a conventional MESFET, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new analytical model to describe the drain-induced barrier lowering (DIBL) effect has been obtained by solving the two-dimensional (2D) Poisson's equation for the dual-channel 4H-SiC MESFET (DCFET). Using this analytical model, we calculate the threshold voltage shift and the sub-threshold slope factor of the DCFET, which characterize the DIBL effect. The results show that they are significantly dependent on the drain bias, gate length as well as the thickness and doping concentration of the two channel layers. Based on this analytical model, the structure parameters of the DCFET have been optimized in order to suppress the DIBL effect and improve the performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new 4H silicon carbide metal semiconductor field-effect transistor (4H-SiC MESFET) structure with a buffer layer between the gate and the channel layer is proposed in this paper for high power microwave applications. The physics-based analytical models for calculating the performance of the proposed device are obtained by solving one- and two-dimensional Poisson's equations. In the models, we take into account not only two regions under the gate but also a third high field region between the gate and the drain which is usually omitted. The direct-current and the alternatingcurrent performances for the proposed 4H-SiC MESFET with a buffer layer of 0.2 µm are calculated. The calculated results are in good agreement with the experimental data. The current is larger than that of the conventional structure. The cutoff frequency (fT) and the maximum oscillation frequency (fmax) are 20.4 GHz and 101.6 GHz, respectively, which are higher than 7.8 GHz and 45.3 GHz of the conventional structure. Therefore, the proposed 4H-SiC MESFET structure has better power and microwave performances than the conventional structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]