Hydrogen-terminated diamond MESFETs: operating principles, static and dynamic performance, and reliability

C. De Santi; L. Pavanello; A. Nardo; M. Buffolo; C. Verona; G. Verona Rinati; D. Cannatà; F. Di Pietrantonio; G. Meneghesso; E. Zanoni; M. Meneghini

doi:10.1117/12.2579310

5 March 2021 Hydrogen-terminated diamond MESFETs: operating principles, static and dynamic performance, and reliability

C. De Santi, L. Pavanello, A. Nardo, M. Buffolo, C. Verona, G. Verona Rinati, D. Cannatà, F. Di Pietrantonio, G. Meneghesso, E. Zanoni, M. Meneghini

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 11685, Terahertz, RF, Millimeter, and Submillimeter-Wave Technology and Applications XIV; 116850H (2021) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2579310
Event: SPIE OPTO, 2021, Online Only

Abstract

In this paper, we review the operating principles of hydrogen-terminated diamond MESFETs for high power and high frequency applications. Thanks to the transfer of electrons from the diamond valence band to the hydrogen termination a mobile hole channel is formed, leading to p-MOS operation. The resulting transistor shows good static performance, when the low technology readiness level of these devices is taken into account, owing to the excellent properties of diamond as a semiconductor. The dynamic performance is analyzed by means of quick ID-VD and ID-VG measurements carried out during a filling phase in off-state and on-state, and the corresponding recovery is monitored by the same measurements at different ambient temperatures. This measurement procedure allows for the extraction of the emission time constant and for the creation of the Arrhenius plot of the deep level involved, showing an activation energy of 0.30 eV. The short-term reliability of the devices is investigated by means of step-stress experiments in on-state condition. The degradation causes an increase in the on-resistance, a negative shift in the threshold voltage and a decrease in the peak transconductance value. The correlation between the variation in the electrical parameters and in the results of the dynamic characterization suggests that the degradation is caused by an increase in concentration of the aforementioned deep level, taking place both in the region below the gate and in the access region. A reduction in hole transfer efficiency can also be present, taking place at very high stress voltage.

Conference Presentation

Citation Download Citation

C. De Santi, L. Pavanello, A. Nardo, M. Buffolo, C. Verona, G. Verona Rinati, D. Cannatà, F. Di Pietrantonio, G. Meneghesso, E. Zanoni, and M. Meneghini "Hydrogen-terminated diamond MESFETs: operating principles, static and dynamic performance, and reliability", Proc. SPIE 11685, Terahertz, RF, Millimeter, and Submillimeter-Wave Technology and Applications XIV, 116850H (5 March 2021); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2579310

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available