In this study, AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) with AlGaN back barriers (B.B.) were comprehensively investigated based on the different Al mole fractions and thicknesses in the design of the experiments. It was shown that the off-state leakage current can be suppressed following an increase of the Al mole fraction due to the enhancement of the back barrier height. Increasing the AlGaN thickness deteriorated device performance because of the generation of lattice mismatch induced surface defects. The dynamic on-resistance (RON) measurements indicated that the Al mole fraction and thickness of the B.B. both affected the buffer trapping phenomenon. In addition, the thickness of B.B. also influenced the substrate heat dissipation ability which is also a key index for high power RF device applications.
Three-dimensional steady and transient fully coupled electro-thermal simulation of AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors: Effects of lateral heat dissipation and thermal crosstalk between gate fingers