Crystallized Ohmic Contact Effect in AlGaN/GaN High Electron Mobility Transistor

Abstract

In this study, we investigate the grain size effect of high electron mobility transistor devices with ohmic contact metals of stacked Ti/Al/Ni/Au and Ti/Al/Mo/Au. In addition to a comparison of electrical characteristics, the ohmic contacts were also examined by a scratch test for the observation of adhesion behavior. The experimental results demonstrate that the metal grain size is strongly dependent on metal adhesion, which may lead to bonding issues. Moreover, the grain-induced lateral stress lowers the drive current and increases the off-state current owing to the degraded gate swing and transconductance of transistor switching characteristics. (C) 2013 The Japan Society of Applied Physics