Performance Improvement and Sub-60 mV/Decade Swing in AlGaN/GaN FinFETs by Simultaneous Activation of 2DEG and Sidewall MOS Channels

This paper presents a new concept, supported by 3-D TCAD simulations, for improving the performance and subthreshold swing (SS) of enhancement-mode AlGaN/GaN fin-shaped field-effect transistors (FinFETs). By choosing appropriate device parameters, the formation of 2-D electron gas (2DEG) can be delayed such as to ensure simultaneous activation of 2DEG and sidewall MOS channels at positive threshold voltage for normally off operation. The 2DEG channel starts forming in the middle of the fin, whereas the edges are depleted by the lateral MOS gates. Not only increasing the gate voltage does the 2DEG charge increase, but also the effective width is enlarged being less depleted by the gates. This double-2DEG mechanism adds to the regular MOS channels on the sidewalls and enables enhanced performance. The 3-D TCAD simulations indicate that narrow FinFET (20 nm) can exhibit excellent switching characteristics: very low SS of 55 mV/decade, below the 60 mV/decade limit, high on/off current ratio of 10
¹⁰
, and good current driving capability due to the added 2DEG channel contribution. The maximum transconductance is 350 mS/mm, the drain current reaches 380 mA/mm, and the on resistance is as low as 0.018 mΩ · cm
²
.