Material and Device Characteristics of MBE Microwave Power FETs with Buffer Layers Grown at Low Temperature (300°C)

Abstract

ABSTRACTMBE GaAs grown at low temperature (300°C) is evaluated for its suitability as a buffer layer for microwave power FETs. Hall effect and capacitance-voltage (C-V) measurements show that low temperature (LT) buffers may have strong deleterious effects on the electronic quality of FET active layers unless they are heat-treated in-situ at 600'C and topped with a thin (∼0. lμm) 600°C GaAs buffer prior to growth of the FET active layer. The voltage isolation properties of the LT buffers are found to be thermally stable to rapid thermal anneals up to 870°C for 10 seconds.Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) cross-sections were examined on FET layers with LT buffer layers which ranged in thickness from 0.1μm to 1.0μm. The TEM reveals a high density (∼1017 cm−3) of small (<100Å) arsenic precipitates in all of the buffer layers studied. In cases where the LT buffer is not heat treated and topped with a thin 600°C GaAs buffer layer, dislocations and arsenic precipitates extend from the buffer layer into the FET active layer. Their presence in the active layer correlates with the degradation in electronic properties observed with Hall effect and CV. Microwave power FETs were measured at DC and 5 GHz. DC and RF results for devices with LT buffer layers are comparable to devices with conventional buffer layers.