EFFECTS OF SULFIDE PASSIVATION ON THE PERFORMANCE OF GAAS MISFETS WITH PHOTO-CVD GROWN P3N5 GATE INSULATORS

Abstract

Accumulation-mode and depletion-mode GaAs metal-insulator-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MISEETs), with sulfur-treatment and a photochemical vapor-deposited-P3N5 gate insulator, have been successfully fabricated. The devices have good linearity, low hysteresis in current-voltage characteristics, and the instability of the current less than 22 percent for the period of 1.0-1.0 x 10(4) s. The effective electron mobility and extrinsic transconductance of the FETs at room temperature are about 1300 cm(2)/V . s and 1.41 mS/mm for the accumulation-mode, and about 4500 cm(2)/V . s and 4 mS/mm for the depletion-mode, respectively. Capacitance-voltage (C-V) characteristics and Anger electron spectroscopy (AES) analysis for different sulfur-treatment conditions are discussed. The atomic concentration ratios of sulfur and oxygen to arsenide oil GaAs surfaces and GaAs metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) interface properties are critically dependent on sulfur pretreatmeent conditions, and the optimum sulfur-treatment temperature is determined to be about 40 degrees C. The minimum density of interface trap states for an Al/P3N5/GaAs MIS diode with the optimized surface treatment is about 4.3 x 10(10) cm(-2) eV(-1).