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Material and Device Characteristics of MBE Microwave Power FETs with Buffer Layers Grown at Low Temperature (300°C)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 February 2011

J. M. Ballingall ,
Pin Ho ,
R. P. Smith ,
S. Wang ,
G. Tessmer ,
T. Yu ,
Ernest L. Hall  and
Gudrun Hutchins
J. M. Ballingall
Affiliation:
General Electric Electronics Laboratory
Pin Ho
Affiliation:
General Electric Electronics Laboratory
R. P. Smith
Affiliation:
General Electric Electronics Laboratory
S. Wang
Affiliation:
General Electric Electronics Laboratory
G. Tessmer
Affiliation:
General Electric Electronics Laboratory
T. Yu
Affiliation:
General Electric Electronics Laboratory
Ernest L. Hall
Affiliation:
General Electric Corporate Research & Development Center
Gudrun Hutchins
Affiliation:
General Electric Corporate Research & Development Center
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Abstract

MBE GaAs grown at low temperature (300°C) is evaluated for its suitability as a buffer layer for microwave power FETs. Hall effect and capacitance-voltage (C-V) measurements show that low temperature (LT) buffers may have strong deleterious effects on the electronic quality of FET active layers unless they are heat-treated in-situ at 600'C and topped with a thin (∼0. lμm) 600°C GaAs buffer prior to growth of the FET active layer. The voltage isolation properties of the LT buffers are found to be thermally stable to rapid thermal anneals up to 870°C for 10 seconds.

Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) cross-sections were examined on FET layers with LT buffer layers which ranged in thickness from 0.1μm to 1.0μm. The TEM reveals a high density (∼1017 cm−3) of small (<100Å) arsenic precipitates in all of the buffer layers studied. In cases where the LT buffer is not heat treated and topped with a thin 600°C GaAs buffer layer, dislocations and arsenic precipitates extend from the buffer layer into the FET active layer. Their presence in the active layer correlates with the degradation in electronic properties observed with Hall effect and CV. Microwave power FETs were measured at DC and 5 GHz. DC and RF results for devices with LT buffer layers are comparable to devices with conventional buffer layers.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 241 , 1991 , 171
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1992

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References

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