Untersuchung von pseudomorphen InGaAs/InAlAs/InP High Electron Mobility Transistoren im Hinblick auf kryogene Anwendungen

A wide variety of new data communication applications demand ever-increasing transmission capacities. The InGaAs/InAlAs/InP layer stack based High Electron Mobility Transistor (HEMT) is currently regarded as the most promising active device in communication systems as it has the highest cut-off frequencies of all transistor types. Due to reduced phonon scattering of the charge carriers, the HEMT is expected to exhibit even better noise and high frequency characteristics for operations at cryogenic temperatures, for instance in mixers or oscillators located in satellites or ground based systems with appropriate cooling equipment. This work focuses an the reduction of access resistances and the fabrication of very short gate lengths as the biggest technological challenges realizing highest cut-off frequencies at any temperature. In addition, the reproducibility and robustness of the implemented gate technologies are fundamental criteria for applications. In comparison to other transistor designs, the InAlAs/InGaAs HEMTs are stronger affected by undesirable, partly material dependent, short channel effects like early breakdown, high gate currents, impact ionization, the kink effect, and a shift in the threshold voltage. Measurements at liquid nitrogen temperature an transistors produced in this work provide further insight into the poorly understood interrelationship between these effects. At liquid nitrogen temperature, the cut-off frequency of 180 GHz and the maximum oscillation frequency of 300 GHz of short channel transistors at room temperature increase by 20 % and 30 %, respectively, while the breakdown voltage remains at high values above 8 V