Proposal of a novel GaN/SiC hybrid FET (HyFET) with enhanced performance for high-voltage switching applications

A novel GaN/SiC HyFET is proposed as a high-voltage power switch with low ON-resistance and enhanced switching performance. The device combines the merits of SiC vertical devices and GaN lateral HEMTs by utilizing a SiC drift region to sustain high OFF-state voltage and an enhancement-mode AlGaN/GaN heterojunction channel to reduce the channel resistance. Compared with conventional SiC MOSFETs of the same voltage rating, the HyFET exhibits a greatly reduced R_on owing to the high electron mobility in the channel, together with dramatically lower C_rss and Q_G. Furthermore, the HyFET provides a unipolar reverse conduction diode with a smaller operating voltage and superior reverse recovery property.