Complete Au-free Metallization Platform for UWBG Al${}_{0.65}$Ga${}_{0.35}$N channel MOS-HEMTs using Ti/Al/Ti Ohmic Contacts and Refractory TiN/Pt Gates

Abstract

Au-free ohmic contacts and refractory gate stacks are critical for integrating ultra-wide-bandgap (UWBG) Al-rich AlGaN transistors with Si-CMOS technology. In this work, we demonstrate, to our knowledge, the first complete Au-free metallization platform for Al${}_{0.65}$Ga${}_{0.35}$N-channel MOS-HEMTs, combining electron-beam-evaporated and sputtered Ti/Al/Ti ohmic contacts with sputtered TiN and Pt gate metals. The Ti/Al/Ti contacts achieved a contact resistance of approximately 7.5--7.7 $\Omega \cdot$mm while being fully Au-free. This contact resistance is achieved using a 600 ${}^{\circ }$C anneal, substantially below the 850--950 ${}^{\circ }$C typically required for Au-capped Ti/Al/X/Au contacts on Al-rich AlGaN, indicating a reduced thermal budget and improved compatibility with silicon-CMOS foundries. TiN gates deliver drain-current density up to 450 mA/mm at $V_{\mathrm{th}}=-13$ V, whereas Pt gates shift $V_{\mathrm{th}}$ to -2.5 V with a reduced current drive of 220 mA/mm, reflecting the effects of gate work function. TiN-gated devices exhibit lower current degradation under pulsed operation and a higher critical breakdown field ($E_{\mathrm{c}}\approx 3.5$ MV/cm) than Pt-gated devices ($E_{\mathrm{c}}\approx 2.98$ MV/cm), measured without field plating at $L_{\mathrm{GD}}=2.3$ $\mu$m. Collectively, these results establish a low-thermal-budget, fully Au-free, CMOS-compatible metallization platform for high-performance Al-rich AlGaN UWBG power electronics.