High voltage gallium nitride vertical PN diode

US12218255B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• National Technology & Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC · US

Inventors

• Luke Yates · Albuquerque, US
• Brendan Patrick Gunning · Atlanta, US
• Mary H. Crawford · Albuquerque, US
• Jeffrey Steinfeldt · Rio Rancho, US
• Michael Lee Smith · Missouri City, US
• Vincent M. Abate · Albuquerque, US
• Jeramy R. Dickerson · Edgewood, US
• Andrew M. Armstrong · Albuquerque, US
• Andrew Binder · Lompoc, US
• Andrew A. Allerman · Albuquerque, US
• Robert Kaplar · Albuquerque, US
• Jack David Flicker · Albuquerque, US
• Gregory Pickrell · Zephyr Cove, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Jan 10, 2022
• Grant date: Feb 4, 2025
• Expiry date: Mar 5, 2043

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H10D62/126
• WIPO field: Semiconductors
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

A vertical gallium nitride (GaN) PN diode uses epitaxial growth of a thick drift region with a very low carrier concentration and a carefully designed multi-zone junction termination extension to achieve high voltage blocking and high-power efficiency. An exemplary large area (1 mm2) diode had a forward pulsed current of 3.5 A, an 8.3 mΩ-cm2 specific on-resistance, and a 5.3 kV reverse breakdown. A smaller area diode (0.063 mm2) was capable of 6.4 kV breakdown with a specific on-resistance of 10.2 mΩ-cm2, when accounting for current spreading through the drift region at a 45° angle.