GaN FinFETs and trigate devices for power and RF applications: review and perspective
Top Cited Papers
- 20 January 2021
- journal article
- review article
- Published by IOP Publishing in Semiconductor Science and Technology
- Vol. 36 (5), 054001
- https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6641/abde17
Abstract
GaN is becoming a mainstream semiconductor for power and RF applications. While commercial GaN devices are increasingly being adopted in data centres, electric vehicles, consumer electronics, telecom and defense applications, their performance is still far from the intrinsic GaN limit. In the last few years, the FinFET and trigate architectures have been leveraged to develop a new generation of GaN power and RF devices, which have continuously advanced the state-of-the-art in the area of microwave and power electronics. Very different from Si digital FinFET devices, GaN FinFETs have allowed for numerous structural innovations based on engineering the two-dimensional-electron gas or p-n junctions, in both lateral and vertical architectures. The superior gate controllability in these fin-based GaN devices has not only allowed higher current on/off ratio, steeper threshold swing, and suppression of short-channel effects, but also enhancement-mode operation, on-resistance reduction, current collapse alleviation, linearity improvement, higher operating frequency, and enhanced thermal management. Several GaN FinFET and trigate device technologies are close to commercialization. This review paper presents a global overview of the reported GaN FinFET and trigate device technologies for RF and power applications, as well as provides in-depth analyses correlating device design parameters to device performance space. The paper concludes with a summary of current challenges and exciting research opportunities in this very dynamic research field.Keywords
Funding Information
- Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy
- CPES Industry Consortium
- Jeffress Interdisciplinary Research Program
- Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
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