A surface potential analysis method and I–V model of AlGaN/GaN high-electron mobility transistors incorporating the two lowest subbands

An analysis method for the surface potential model and current–voltage model of AlGaN/GaN high-electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) is proposed. In this paper, the two lowest subbands E0 and E1 in the triangular electron potential well are incorporated into this model, which can preferably reflect the electronic structure and carrier transport mechanism of HEMTs. Then, the proposed method of compound-proximity algorithm overcomes the bottleneck of the compromise between the accuracy and efficiency of GaN HEMTs’ physics-based model. Additionally, the self-heating effect is introduced into the current model, which can effectively reflect the degradation of output characteristics caused by the increase in the device temperature. The results of numerical simulations, experiments, and our model are compared across a wide range of operating regimes for HEMTs to demonstrate the validity of AlGaN/GaN HEMTs’ modeling. This modeling method offers a fresh research approach for AlGaN/GaN HEMT modeling and paves a novel path toward overcoming the technical hurdles in advanced process integrated circuit design associated with Electronic Design Automation tools.