Design and evaluation of low-voltage power AlGaN/GaN/SiC Schottky barrier diode

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54708/26587572_2026_812422

Keywords:

power electronics, power GaN, gallium nitride, planar Schottky barrier diode, power micromodule, power microassembly

Abstract

The paper presents the results of the development and experimental evaluation of a low-voltage planar power Schottky diode based on an AlGaN/GaN heterostructure formed on a SiC substrate. The basic design of a GaN power Schottky diode with a field-effect electrode system implemented in a multi-finger GaN power Schottky diode crystal was described. A technique for pulsed measurement of the diode's current-voltage characteristic was presented, which allows eliminating the influence of self-heating. Twenty-five experimental samples of GaN power Schottky diode dies were fabricated and measured. The maximum working voltage was over 250 V, and the maximum current reached 42 A. The thermal resistance between the active region of the GaN power diode and the substrate was theoretically calculated. The advantage of using SiC substrates in terms of thermal characteristics was demonstrated. A comparison of the achieved electrical characteristics of the GaN power Schottky diode with a commercially-available silicon-based counterpart was conducted. The paper presents the results of integrating an experimental sample of a power GaN Schottky diode die into a multichip power micromodule intended for use in the secondary stage of high-power-density single-ended DC-DC converters.

References

Rafin S.S.H., Ahmed R., Haque M.A., et al. Power electronics revolutionized: A comprehensive analysis of emerging wide and ultrawide bandgap devices // Micromachines. 14(11), 2045 (2023). DOI: 10.3390/mi14112045.

Dhameliya N. Power electronics innovations: Improving efficiency and sustainability in energy systems // Asia Pacific Journal of Energy and environment. 9(2), 71–80 (2022). DOI: 10.18034/apjee.v9i2.752.

Tsao J. Y. et al. Ultrawide-bandgap semiconductors: Research opportunities and challenges // Advanced Electronic Materials. 4, 1600501 (2018). DOI: 10.1002/aelm.201600501.

Bartenev A.I., Kagadey V.A., Koryakovtsev A.S., et al. GaN power electronics as a driver of energy efficiency growth in electrical energy converters // Tekhnologii Bezopasnosti Zhiznedeyatelnosti. 1, 91–100 (2023). (In Russian) [Бартенев А.И., Кагадей В.А., Коряковцев А.С. и др. Силовая GaN-электроника как фактор роста энергоэффективности преобразователей электрической энергии // Технологии безопасности жизнедеятельности. 1, 91–100 (2023)]. DOI: 10.17223/7783494/1/12.

Athwer A., Darwish A. A review on modular converter topologies based on WBG semiconductor devices in wind energy conversion systems // Energies. 16(14), 5324 (2023). DOI: 10.3390/en16145324.

Roccaforte F., Fiorenza P., Greco G., et al. Challenges for energy efficient wide band gap semiconductor power devices // Physica Status Solidi A: Applications and Materials Science. 211(9), 2063–2071 (2014). DOI: 10.1002/pssa.201300558.

Rafin S.M.S.H., Ahmed R., Mohammed O.A. Wide band gap semiconductor devices for power electronic converters. In: 2023 Fourth International Symposium on 3D Power Electronics Integration and Manufacturing (3D-PEIM). IEEE, 2023. P. 1–8. DOI: 10.1109/3D-PEIM55914.2023.10052586.

Bykhovski A., Gelmont B., Shur M. The influence of the strain-induced electric field on the charge distribution in GaN-AlN-GaN structure // Journal of Applied Physics. 74(11), 6734–6739 (1993). DOI: 10.1063/1.355070.

Asbeck P. M., et al. Piezoelectric charge densities in AlGaN/GaN HFETs // Electronics Letters. 33(14), 1230–1231 (1997). DOI: 10.1049/el:19970843.

Buffolo M. et al. Review and outlook on GaN and SiC power devices: Industrial state-of-the-art, applications, and perspectives. // IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices. 71(3), 1344–1355 (2024). DOI: 10.1109/TED.2023.3346369.

Liu Y.F., Tan D. A discussion on ultrahigh efficiency and ultrahigh power density DC-DC converter technologies. // IEEE Journal of Emerging and Selected Topics in Power Electronics. 11(3), 2457–2468 (2023). DOI: 10.1109/JESTPE.2023.3239516.

Shao Y. et al. Research progress and prospect of GaN Schottky diodes // Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics. 57(9), 093001 (2023). DOI: 10.1088/1361-6463/ad0c7a.

Soni A., Amogh K.M., Shrivastava M. Design guidelines and performance tradeoffs in recessed AlGaN/GaN Schottky barrier diodes // IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices. 67(11), 4834–4841 (2020). DOI: 10.1109/TED.2020.3024354.

Kolawole M.I. Advanced wide-bandgap semiconductor devices for high-power applications: GaN, SiC, and diamond-based electronics for extreme environments. // International Journal of Engineering Technology Research and Management. 9(2), 335 (2025). DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.14938163.

Polyntsev E., Erofeev E., Yunusov I. The Influence of Design on Electrical Performance of AlGaN/GaN Lateral Schottky Barrier Diodes for Energy-Efficient Power Applications // Electronics, 10(22), 2802 (2021). DOI: 10.3390/electronics10222802.

Popeskul A.N. Calorifics: Methodological rationale. Moscow: Nauka, 2016. 132 p. (In Russian) [Попескул А.Н. Теплотехника: Методическое пособие. М.: Наука, 2016. 132 с.]

Polyntsev E.S. et al. Design and optimization of 100 V GaN multi-chip power micromodule based on AlN DBC substrate // 2024 IEEE 25th International Conference of Young Professionals in Electron Devices and Materials (EDM), 1180–1184 (2024). DOI: 10.1109/EDM61683.2024.10614962.

Kodorova I.Y., Polyntsev E.S., Kagadey V.A. Thermal Analysis of Packaging Solution for GaN Multichip Power Micromodule. In: 2024 IEEE 25th International Conference of Young Professionals in Electron Devices and Materials (EDM). IEEE, 2024. P. 1230–1233. DOI: 10.1109/EDM61683.2024.10615202.

Polyntsev E. et al. High frequency 1 MHz 72 W forward converter with active clamp and synchronous rectifier based on GaN multichip power micromodules. In: 2025 IEEE 26th International Conference of Young Professionals in Electron Devices and Materials (EDM). IEEE, 2025. P. 790–795. DOI: 10.1109/EDM65517.2025.11096879.

Li H. et al. Digital synchronous rectifier control using extended harmonics impedance model for highfrequency GaN-based LLC converters // IEEE Transactions on Industrial Electronics. 71(10), 12312–12322 (2024). DOI: 10.1109/TIE.2024.3357840.

Published

2026-14-03

How to Cite

Polyntsev Е. С., Kodorova И. Ю., Aksenov А. А., & Vorobyov М. С. (2026). Design and evaluation of low-voltage power AlGaN/GaN/SiC Schottky barrier diode. Materials. Technologies. Design., 8(1 (24), 22–31. https://doi.org/10.54708/26587572_2026_812422