Performance analysis of GaN-based high-electron-mobility transistors with postpassivation plasma treatment*

AlGaN/GaN high-electron-mobility transistors (HEMTs) with postpassivation plasma treatment are demonstrated and investigated for the first time. The results show that postpassivation plasma treatment can reduce the gate leakage and enhance the drain current. Comparing with the conventional devices, the gate leakage of AlGaN/GaN HEMTs with postpassivation plasma decreases greatly while the drain current increases. Capacitance–voltage measurement and frequency-dependent conductance method are used to study the surface and interface traps. The mechanism analysis indicates that the surface traps in the access region can be reduced by postpassivation plasma treatment and thus suppress the effect of virtual gate, which can explain the improvement of DC characteristics of devices. Moreover, the density and time constant of interface traps under the gate are extracted and analyzed.