Effects of rapid thermal annealing on the electrical properties of the AlGaN/AlN/GaN heterostructure field-effect transistors with Ti/Al/Ni/Au gate electrodes

In this study, we investigated the electrical properties of the AlGaN/AlN/GaN heterostructure field-effect transistors (HFETs) with Ti/Al/Ni/Au gate electrodes using the measured capacitance-voltage, current-voltage characteristics, and micro-Raman spectroscopy. We found that the uneven distribution of the strain caused by the Schottky metals was a major factor that generates the polarization Coulomb field scattering in AlGaN/AlN/GaN HFETs, and after appropriate rapid thermal annealing (RTA) processes, the polarization Coulomb field scattering was greatly weakened and the two-dimensional electron gas electron mobility was improved. We also found that the Schottky barrier height and the DC characteristics of the devices became better after appropriate RTA. Of course, the electrical performances mentioned above became deteriorated after excessive annealing. (C) 2014 AIP Publishing LLC.