Nitride Semiconductor Contact Resistance Stabilization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional nitride semiconductor devices experience unstable contact resistance due to temperature changes, hindering their operation in environments with large temperature fluctuations.
Innovation Solution
A semiconductor device structure is developed, featuring a first nitride semiconductor layer on a substrate, a second nitride semiconductor layer with a larger band gap, and a third nitride semiconductor layer of conductivity type, where the carrier movement between layers is rate-determined by diffusion and field emission processes, achieved through a sintering process that forms a metal nitride electrode and a nitrogen-vacancy-rich third semiconductor layer.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the conduction mechanism at the electrode-semiconductor interface is dominated by thermionic field emission or thermionic emission, then carrier movement increases with temperature and contact resistance decreases, but the contact resistance becomes highly temperature-dependent, preventing stable operation in high-temperature environments
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the conduction mechanism parameter from thermionic field emission to field emission by controlling the energy barrier height at the electrode-AlGaN interface through composition and thickness adjustment of the AlGaN layer. Field emission is a quantum tunneling process that is less sensitive to temperature, thereby reducing temperature dependence of contact resistance while maintaining low contact resistance values
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This configuration stabilizes the contact resistance across varying temperatures, enabling the semiconductor device to operate reliably in environments with significant temperature changes.
Implementation Method 1
achieved through a sintering process that forms a metal nitride electrode and a nitrogen-vacancy-rich third semiconductor layer
Implementation Method 2
the carrier movement between layers is rate-determined by diffusion and field emission processes
Implementation Method 3
the carrier movement between the first semiconductor layer and the third semiconductor layer via the second semiconductor layer is rate-determined by a field emission process
Implementation Method 4
in field emission, carrier movement is caused by tunnel conduction
Data Source
AI summary
A third semiconductor layer (105) including a third nitride semiconductor is provided between an electrode (110) and a second semiconductor layer (104) including a second nitride semiconductor. The band gap of the second nitride semiconductor is set such that the carrier movement between a first semiconductor layer (103) and the third semiconductor layer (105) via the second semiconductor layer (104) is rate-determined by a diffusion process. The thickness of the second semiconductor layer (104) is set such that the carrier movement between the first semiconductor layer (103) and the third semiconductor layer (105) via the second semiconductor layer (104) is rate-determined by the diffusion process. The carrier movement between the first semiconductor layer (103) and the third semiconductor layer (105) via the second semiconductor layer (104) is rate-determined by a field emission process.