Surface protection mechanism of insulating films at junctions in compound semiconductor devices

The plasma damage induced by PE-CVD is caused by a decrease in the pulsed current of AlGaN/GaN HEMTs. The low interface trap density achieved by using Cat-CVD helps to improve the performance of AlGaN/GaN HEMTs. The moisture resistance of the stoichiometric Si₃N₄ films was the highest of the silicon nitride films considered. The pHEMTs covered by Cat-CVD Si₃N₄ films showed improved humidity resistance compared with other devices.