Journal Article

High power density gallium nitride radio frequency transistors via enhanced nucleation in heteroepitaxy

Wang, Baiqi, Cheng, Zhe, Wang, Xinqiang, Dong, Yaolong, Chen, Tangsheng, Hao, Yue, Liu, Zhihong, Xu, Shengrui, Zhang, Jincheng, Zhou, Shutong, Liu, Wenjun, Zhang, Chunfu, Huang, Zifeng, Liu, Fang, Zhang, Yachao, Zhang, Yuhao, Gong, Hehe, Wang, Shuai, Zhou, Min, Liu, Jinwen, Zhang, Chaoqun, Tang, Shijun, Zhang, Kun, Xu, Zuyin, Zhou, Hong, Wang, Han

2025

Overview

Gallium-nitride high-electron-mobility-transistor is an industrial leading contender for high-frequency and high-power radio-frequency applications. However, the record output-power-density has remained stagnant for nearly two decades, limited by high thermal-resistances at the nucleation layer-substrate interface and thick nitride layers. Here, we propose induced nucleation by implementing ion-implantation on silicon-carbide substrate to create nano- to microscale surface nucleation-sites. This approach suppresses conventional island-like nucleation, enabling rapid film coalescence and aggressive reduction in buffer layer thickness while maintaining low dislocation density. Therefore, a low thermal-resistance of 3.9 m²K/GW for the entire epitaxial stack is achieved, three times lower than previous reports in various high-electron-mobility-transistor epi-structures. Gallium-nitride transistors demonstrate a record Johnson’s Figure-of-Merit of 20.6 THz·V, an output-power-density of 42/20 W/mm at 8/30 GHz, representing a 30%/43% improvement over prior highest output-power-density for all X-/Ka-band transistors, respectively. This result manifests the implantation-induced nucleation strategy as a promising approach for advancing Gallium-nitride heteroepitaxy for RF electronics. Achieving high output-power-density in Gallium-nitride transistors is challenging due to high thermal resistances and thick nitride layers. Here, the authors propose ion-implantation on silicon-carbide substrates, achieving high performance and reduced thermal resistance.

• Publisher: Nature Publishing Group UK,Nature Publishing Group,Nature Portfolio
• Subject: 639/301/1005/1007 / 639/925/927/1007 / Buffer layers / Coalescence / Dislocation density / Extremely high frequencies / Figure of merit / Gallium / Gallium nitrides / High electron mobility transistors / Humanities and Social Sciences / Interfaces / Ion implantation / Microscopy / Morphology / multidisciplinary / Nucleation / Radio frequency / Satellite communications / Science / Science (multidisciplinary) / Semiconductor devices / Semiconductors / Silicon / Silicon carbide / Silicon substrates / Thermal resistance / Thickness / Transistors