Impact of Al x Ga1−x barrier thickness and Al composition on electrical properties of ferroelectric HfZrO/Al2O3/AlGaN/GaN MFSHEMTs

Abstract

Ferroelectric (FE) HfZrO/Al2O3 gate stack AlGaN/GaN metal-FE-semiconductor heterostructure field-effect transistors (MFSHEMTs) with varying Al x Ga1−x N barrier thickness and Al composition are investigated and compared by TCAD simulation with non-FE HfO2/Al2O3 gate stack metal–insulator–semiconductor heterostructure field-effect transistors (MISHEMTs). Results show that the decrease of the two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) density with decreasing AlGaN barrier thickness is more effectively suppressed in MFSHEMTs than that in MISHEMTs due to the enhanced FE polarization switching efficiency. The electrical characteristics of MFSHEMTs, including transconductance, subthreshold swing, and on-state current, effectively improve with decreasing AlGaN thickness in MFSHEMTs. High Al composition in AlGaN barrier layers that are under 3-nm thickness plays a great role in enhancing the 2DEG density and FE polarization in MFSHEMTs, improving the transconductance and the on-state current. The subthreshold swing and threshold voltage can be reduced by decreasing the AlGaN thickness and Al composition in MFSHEMTs, affording favorable conditions for further enhancing the device.