Challenges and Advances in Materials and Fabrication Technologies for the Development of p-GaN Gated E-Mode AlGaN/GaN Power HEMTs: A Critical Review

Industries including energy production, automotive and aerospace has seen a tremendous increase in interest in high temperature electronics. There has been a lot of investigations done on wide bandgap materials because of the difficulties traditional electronics suffer at high temperatures, such as poor stability and increased leakage current. GaN-based power high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) are a popular choice for a variety of power electronic applications due to their excellent efficiency and ability to deliver high power density. When it comes to power HEMTs, p-GaN gate technology is a reliable and affordable way to accomplish normally off (E-Mode) operation and guarantee fail-safe standards. This article critically reviews the advances and challenges in fabrication technologies, recent developments in materials, impact of gate first/gate last fabrication processes, gate contact effects, advances in etching techniques and annealing/plasma treatment effects in the development of p-GaN Gated E-Mode AlGaN/GaN RF Power HEMTs.