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In this letter, we successfully achieved high-power radio frequency (RF) operation of AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) fabricated on free-standing AlN substrate at X-band. The developed HEMT on AlN substrate comprised a 200 nm thick GaN channel and AlGaN buffer with an Al composition of 30%. Thanks to high breakdown voltage of the HEMT on AlN substrate, we successfully demonstrated 15.2 W mm−1 output power density at operating voltages of 70 V even without device technologies such as source-field plate and optimization of device dimension. Our results show that the potential of GaN HEMTs on AlN substrate as next-generation high-power RF devices.

The thermal diffusion of germanium and oxygen atoms in HfO2/GeO2/Ge gate stacks was comprehensively evaluated by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and secondary ion mass spectrometry combined with an isotopic labeling technique. It was found that 18O-tracers composing the GeO2 underlayers diffuse within the HfO2 overlayers based on Fick's law with the low activation energy of about 0.5 eV. Although out-diffusion of the germanium atoms through HfO2 also proceeded at the low temperatures of around 200 °C, the diffusing germanium atoms preferentially segregated on the HfO2 surfaces, and the reaction was further enhanced at high temperatures with the assistance of GeO desorption. A technique to insert atomically thin AlOx interlayers between the HfO2 and GeO2 layers was proven to effectively suppress both of these independent germanium and oxygen intermixing reactions in the gate stacks.

High-quality Ge-based metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) stacks were achieved with ultrathin oxynitride (GeON) gate dielectrics. An in situ process based on plasma nitridation of the base germanium oxide (GeO2) surface and subsequent metal electrode deposition was proven to be effective for suppressing electrical deterioration induced by the reaction at the metal/insulator interface. The electrical properties of the bottom GeON/Ge interface were further improved by both low-temperature oxidation for base GeO2 formation and high-temperature in situ vacuum annealing after plasma nitridation of the base oxide. Based on the optimized in situ gate stack fabrication process, very high inversion carrier mobility (μhole: 445 cm2/Vs, μelectron: 1114 cm2/Vs) was demonstrated for p- and n-channel Ge MOSFETs with Al/GeON/Ge gate stacks at scaled equivalent oxide thickness down to 1.4 nm.