Design and fabrication of nitride based high power devices

We modeled the breakdown voltage, critical current density and maximum operating frequency of several GaN and GaN/AlN based high power and high temperature electronic devices. Important model parameters which influence device design and performance are minority carrier recombination lifetime and critical field for electric breakdown. GaN Schottky devices have been fabricated in the planar geometry. Current-voltage measurements indicated the importance of the vertical geometry for achieving large breakdown voltages. The minority carrier (hole) recombination lifetimes have been measured by electron beam induced currents (EBIC). The measured hole lifetime of 7 ns and estimate for the critical field indicate the possibility of GaN/AlGaN thyristor switch devices operating at 5KV with current densities approximately equal to 200 A/cm(2) and at frequencies above 2MHz. The GaN structural and optical materials quality and processing requirement for etching is discussed.