Doped gallium nitride high-electron mobility transistor

• US 9,640,650 B2
• Filed: 01/16/2014
• Issued: 05/02/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qorvo US, Inc. (Qorvo, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Qorvo US, Inc. (Qorvo, Inc.)
• Inventors: Xie, Jinqiao, Beam, III, Edward A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Anya, Igwe U
• Application Number:
  US14/157,245
• Publication Number:
  US 20150200287A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,202 Days
• Field of Search: 257194, 257 76, 438478
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02458 Nitrides
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0254 Nitrides
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02576 N-type
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02584 Delta-doping
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/2003 Nitride compounds
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/205 in different semiconductor regions , e.g. heterojunctions
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/365 Planar doping, e.g. atomic-plane doping, delta-doping
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/66462 with a heterojunction interface channel or gate, e.g. HFET, HIGFET, SISFET, HJFET, HEMT
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/7785 with more than one donor layer
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/7787 with wide bandgap charge-carrier supplying layer, e.g. direct single heterostructure MODFET

Abstract

Embodiments include high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) comprising a substrate and a barrier layer including a doped component. The doped component may be a germanium doped layer or a germanium doped pulse. Other embodiments may include methods for fabricating such a HEMT.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a first aluminum gallium nitride (AlGaN) barrier layer that comprises a first AlGaN sublayer and a first AlGaN spacer sublayer, and

a first doped component between the first AlGaN sublayer and the AlGaN spacer sublayer

a gallium nitride (GaN) channel layer coupled with the first barrier layer to form a first heterojunction;

a second AlGaN barrier layer coupled with the channel layer to form a second heterojunction,

wherein the second AlGaN barrier layer comprises a second AlGaN sublayer and a second AlGaN spacer sublayer; and

a second doped component between the second AlGaN sublayer and the second AlGaN spacer sublayer.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first and second doped components include first and second doped layers, respectively.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the first doped layer includes an aluminum concentration of approximately 15%, a germanium doping concentration of approximately 5×

10¹⁹ cm<sup>−

3</sup> or greater, and a thickness of approximately 10 angstroms.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the second doped layer includes an aluminum concentration of approximately 4%, a germanium doping concentration of approximately 5×

10¹⁹ cm<sup>−

3</sup> or greater, and a thickness of approximately 10 angstroms.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first and second doped components include first and second doping pulses.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first AlGaN barrier layer includes an aluminum concentration of approximately 15% and the second AlGaN barrier layer includes an aluminum concentration of approximately 4%.

7. A method comprising:

forming a first aluminum gallium nitride (AlGaN) barrier layer on a substrate, wherein the first AlGaN barrier layer comprises a first AlGaN sublayer and a first AlGaN spacer sublayer, and;

forming a first doped component between the first AlGaN sublayer and the AlGaN spacer sublayer;

forming a gallium nitride (GaN) channel on the first AlGaN barrier layer;

forming a second AlGaN barrier layer that comprises a second AlGaN sublayer and a second AlGaN spacer sublayer on the GaN channel; and

forming a second doped component between the second AlGaN sublayer and the second AlGaN spacer sublayer.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein forming the first doped component includes:

forming a doped layer with a doping concentration of approximately 5×

10¹⁹ cm<sup>−

3</sup> or greater.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein forming the first doped component includes:

forming a doped pulse.

10. A system comprising:

a transceiver to generate RF signals; and

a power amplifier module coupled with the transceiver to amplify the RF signals from the transceiver and to provide amplified RF signals to an antenna switch module, wherein the power amplifier module includes a high-electron mobility transistor (HEMT) comprising;

a substrate;

a first aluminum gallium nitride (AlGaN) barrier layer disposed on the substrate, and comprising a first AlGaN sublayer and a first AlGaN spacer sublayer;

a first doped component between the first AlGaN sublayer and the first AlGaN spacer sublayer;

a channel layer disposed on the first AlGaN sublayer;

a second aluminum gallium nitride (AlGaN) barrier layer disposed on the channel layer, and comprising a second AlGaN sublayer and a second AlGaN spacer sublayer; and

a second doped component between the second AlGaN sublayer and the second AlGaN spacer sublayer.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the first doped component and the second doped component are both germanium.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein at least one of the first AlGaN barrier layer and the second AlGaN barrier layer includes an aluminum concentration of approximately 15%.