SET awarded AlGaN/GaN transistor patent
A dielectric layer placed in this device between the gate contact and the AlGaN/GaN heterostructure blocks the gate leakage current resulting in a higher drain current and a higher breakdown voltage. The stable performance that makes practical applications of this technology viable.
The main reason that the MOS approach works for AlGaN/GaN-based transistors is a very high electron sheet density in the device channel (more than 10-15 times higher than in comparable AlGaAs/GaAs based HEMTs), which suppresses parasitic effects related to the charge trapped at oxide/AlGaN heterointerface.
These ultra-high power MOSHFET transistors are expected to be the key building blocks for microwave power amplifiers (MPAs). MPAs amplify RF signals and are central to transmit/receive modules in military and commercial radars and communications systems, including networks of basestations for wireless communications. Additional applications include high voltage power and RF switches.
Remis Gaska, president and CEO of SET, said “During the last 12 months, the SET team has made impressive progress in further developing this new MOSHFET device technology, primarily focusing on the quality of III-nitride epitaxial wafers and MOSHFET device processing.”
The development of this technology is strongly supported by the US government. Initial MOSHFET development was supported under a Missile Defense Agency (MDA) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) 2-year Phase II program.
In 2003 alone, SET has received eight SBIR awards from the MDA and DARPA (and is negotiating a US Army contract for a joint Small Business Technology Transfer program with Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute) to develop and commercialize III-nitride materials and device technology.
