Understanding the Breakdown Behavior of Ultrawide-Bandgap Boron Nitride Power Diodes Using Device Modeling

Herein, a device study using technology computer-aided design simulation to theoretically analyze the electrical performance of ultrawide-bandgap boron nitride (BN)-based vertical junction devices is performed, including h-BN Schottky diode, h-BN pn diode, and h-BN/AlN pn diode; this is also the first demonstration of the BN power devices in simulation. The material properties of BN are defined with recently reported data, and the physical mechanisms of the device performance are systematically investigated. The h-BN junctions in this simulation shows excellent performance, especially for breakdown behaviors. Schottky diode shows a turn-on voltage of 0.6 V for Pt Schottky contact and breakdown voltages over 450 V for 5 mu m, 6 x 10(15 )cm(-3) p-type-doped drift layer; The h-BN pn diode shows a turn-on voltage of 6 V and breakdown voltages over 3 kV with a critical electric field of 13.6 MV cm(-1) for 2.5 mu m, 2 x 10(16 )cm(-3) p-type-doped drift layer. The h-BN/AlN heterojunction pn diode shows a turn-on voltage of 5.8 V and breakdown voltage over 2 kV for 2.5 mu m, 2 x 10(16 )cm(-3) n-type-doped AlN drift layer. Herein, an understanding of the device principles of vertical BN junctions is provided, which can serve as a reference for the future development of robust BN power electronics.

Automated summary

A theoretical analysis of the electrical performance of ultrawide-bandgap boron nitride (BN)-based vertical junction devices, including h-BN Schottky diode, h-BN pn diode, and h-BN/AlN pn diode, is performed using technology computer-aided design simulation. This is the first demonstration of BN power devices in simulation. The results show excellent performance for h-BN junctions, especially in breakdown behaviors, providing insights for the future development of robust BN power electronics.