IP Library Granted Patent US 12,274,083
Granted Patent B2
US 12,274,083 · App. 17/474,475 · Granted Apr 8, 2025

Semiconductor device

Inventor: Shigeki Yoshida (Osaka, JP)
Assignee: Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd.
H10D30/475H10D62/328H10D62/824H10D62/8503
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,274,083
App. No.
17/474,475
Granted
Apr 8, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

A semiconductor device includes a substrate, a semiconductor layer provided on the substrate and having a plurality of GaN channel layers and a plurality of AlGaN barrier layers which are alternately laminated from a substrate side, a source electrode and a drain electrode electrically connected to the GaN channel layers, and a gate electrode provided between the source electrode and the drain electrode to control a potential of the semiconductor layer, wherein an Al composition ratio of an AlGaN barrier layer closest to the substrate is smaller than that of an AlGaN barrier layer second closest to the substrate.

Claims (43)

1. A semiconductor device comprising:

a substrate;

a semiconductor layer provided on the substrate and having a plurality of GaN channel layers and a plurality of AlGaN barrier layers which are alternately laminated in a lamination direction from the substrate;

a source electrode and a drain electrode electrically connected to the plurality of GaN channel layers; and

a gate electrode provided between the source electrode and the drain electrode to control a potential of the semiconductor layer,

wherein the plurality of AlGaN barrier layers includes a first AlGaN barrier layer closest to the substrate and a second AlGaN barrier layer second closest to the substrate,

wherein the first AlGaN barrier layer has a first Al composition ratio a second Al composition ratio of the second AlGaN barrier layer,

wherein the plurality of GaN channel layers includes a first GaN channel layer closest to the substrate,

wherein the gate electrode penetrates the plurality of AlGaN barrier layers in the lamination direction and reaches the first GaN channel layer, and

wherein the plurality of GaN channel layers includes four or more GaN channel layers in the lamination direction and the plurality of AlGaN barrier layers includes four or more AlGaN barrier layers in the lamination direction.

2. The semiconductor device according to claim 1 , wherein

when a thickness of the first AlGaN barrier layer is T1 and the thickness of the second AlGaN barrier layer is T2, a formula “|T1−T2|/(T1+T2)≤0.2” is satisfied.

3. The semiconductor device according to claim 1 , wherein

the second Al composition ratio of the second AlGaN barrier layer is smaller than a third Al composition ratio of a third AlGaN barrier layer, of the plurality of AlGaN barrier layers, that is third closest to the substrate.

4. The semiconductor device according to claim 1 , wherein

the plurality of AlGaN barrier layers further includes a third AlGaN barrier layer second farthest from the substrate, and a fourth AlGaN barrier layer farthest from the substrate,

a fourth Al composition ratio of the fourth AlGaN barrier layer is smaller than a third Al composition ratio of the third AlGaN barrier layer.

5. The semiconductor device according to claim 4 , wherein

each of the plurality of AlGaN barrier layers has a thickness in the lamination direction, and

when one of the plurality of AlGaN barrier layers has a largest thickness T16 max and another of the plurality of AlGaN barrier layers has a smallest thickness T16 min, a formula “(T16 max−T16 min)/(T16 max+T16 min)≤0.2” is satisfied.

6. The semiconductor device according to claim 5 , wherein

each of the plurality of GaN channel layers has a thickness in the lamination direction, and

when of one of the plurality of GaN channel layers excluding the first GaN channel layer has a largest thickness T14 max, and another of the plurality of GaN channel layers excluding the first GaN channel layer has a smallest thickness T14 min, a formula “(T14 max−T14 min)/(T14 max+T14 min)≤0.2” is satisfied.

7. The semiconductor device according to claim 1 , wherein

the first Al composition ratio and the second Al composition ratio are 0.1 or more and 0.4 or less.

8. A semiconductor device comprising

a substrate;

a semiconductor layer provided on the substrate and having a plurality of GaN channel layers and a plurality of AlGaN barrier layers which are alternately laminated from a substrate side;

a source electrode and a drain electrode electrically connected to the plurality of GaN channel layers; and

a gate electrode provided between the source electrode and the drain electrode to control a potential of the semiconductor layer,

wherein the plurality of AlGaN barrier layers includes a first AlGaN barrier layer closest to the substrate, a second AlGaN barrier layer second closest to the substrate, a third AlGaN barrier layer second farthest from the substrate, and a fourth AlGaN barrier layer farthest from the substrate,

wherein the first AlGaN barrier layer has a first Al composition ratio smaller than a second Al composition ratio of the second AlGaN barrier layer,

wherein the fourth AlGaN barrier layer has a fourth Al composition ratio smaller than a third Al composition ratio of the third AlGaN barrier layer, and

wherein the first Al composition ratio, the second Al composition ratio, the third Al composition ratio, and the fourth Al composition ratio are 0.1 or more and 0.4 or less.

9. A semiconductor device comprising

a substrate;

a semiconductor layer provided on the substrate and having a plurality of GaN channel layers and a plurality of AlGaN barrier layers which are alternately laminated from a substrate side;

a source electrode and a drain electrode electrically connected to the plurality of GaN channel layers; and

a gate electrode provided between the source electrode and the drain electrode to control a potential of the semiconductor layer,

wherein the plurality of AlGaN barrier layers includes a first AlGaN barrier layer closest to the substrate, a second AlGaN barrier layer second closest to the substrate, a third AlGaN barrier layer third closest to the substrate, a fourth AlGaN barrier layer that is second farthest from the substrate, and a fifth AlGaN barrier layer that is farthest from the substrate,

wherein the first AlGaN barrier layer has a first Al composition ratio smaller than a second Al composition ratio of the second AlGaN barrier layer,

wherein the second Al composition ratio is smaller than that of a third Al composition ratio of the third AlGaN barrier layer, and

wherein a fifth Al composition ratio of the fifth AlGaN barrier layer is smaller than a fourth Al composition ratio of the fourth AlGaN barrier layer.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 15, 2021
From: YOSHIDA, SHIGEKI
To: SUMITOMO ELECTRIC INDUSTRIES, LTD.
Reel/Frame 057483/0220 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2020-155356 · Sep 16, 2020 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20220085200A1 · Mar 17, 2022
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