GaN-on-sapphire JTE-anode lateral field-effect rectifier for improved breakdown voltage (>2.5 kV) and dynamic R_ON

In high-power switching applications such as electric grids, transportation, and industrial electronics, power devices are supposed to have kilo-voltage (kV) level blocking capability. In this work, 1200-V gallium nitride (GaN) lateral field-effect rectifiers (LFERs) are demonstrated. The GaN-on-sapphire epitaxial structure is adopted to prevent vertical breakdown. To address electric field crowding, a p-GaN/AlGaN/GaN junction termination extension (JTE) is embedded in the anode region of the LFER. Comparing to the conventional LFER (Conv-LFER) fabricated on the same wafer, the JTE-anode LFER (JTE-LFER) achieves an improved breakdown voltage (>2.5 kV) and a lower dynamic ON-resistance (R_ON). The proposed p-GaN/AlGaN/GaN JTE offers a semiconductor-based solution (contrasted to the dielectric-based solution, i.e., field plate) to mitigate the high electric field, which is highly desirable for wide bandgap semiconductor power devices as it enhances the dielectric reliability.