Characterization of GaN cantilevers fabricated with GaN-on-silicon platform

In this article, Gallium nitride (GaN) cantilevers integrated with AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) are fabricated with a GaN-on-silicon platform, which is fully compatible with the standard HEMTs fabrication process. A type of micro-bending test was used to characterize the piezoresponse of AlGaN/GaN HEMT on the GaN cantilever. The modulation capability of the AlGaN/GaN heterostructures under different gate bias voltages for either high sensitivity or large output signals was demonstrated. A pulsed vibration measurement technique was used to evaluate the Young's modulus of the suspended GaN cantilevers, yielding a Young's modulus of ~293 GPa.