Buffer-Induced Current Collapse in GaN HEMTs on Highly Resistive Si Substrates

We demonstrate that the highly resistive Si substrate in GaN-on-Si RF HEMTs does not act as an insulator, but instead behaves as a conductive ground plane for static operation and can cause significant back-gate-induced current collapse. Substrate ramp characterization of the buffer shows good agreement with device simulations and indicates that the current collapse is caused by charge-redistribution within the GaN layer. Potential solutions, which alter charge storage and leakage in the epitaxy to counter this effect, are then presented.