Improved DC Characteristic Modeling and Small-Signal Investigation of GaN Schottky Barrier Diodes.

Abstract

This paper presents a complete modeling flow for GaN Schottky barrier diodes (SBDs), encompassing parasitic parameter de-embedding, small-signal equivalent circuit extraction, and DC characteristic analysis. The open/short de-embedding method is adopted to extract the parasitic parameters of the Ground-Signal-Ground (GSG) pads. A bias-partitioning strategy is employed to extract the intrinsic small-signal parameters, and the depletion capacitance model is used to physically fit the C-V characteristics. The forward Direct Current (DC) conduction current is described by the thermionic emission model, while the reverse leakage is modeled using a piecewise approach: the Poole-Frenkel (PF) trap-assisted emission model is applied in the low-bias region, and a double-exponential decay empirical model is introduced in the high-bias region, achieving high-precision fitting over the full bias range (-100 V~3 V). More importantly, this paper identifies a significant discrepancy between the series resistance extracted from DC measurements and that from Radio Frequency (RF) measurements, and attributes it to the frequency dispersion effect induced by trap states. The study demonstrates that combining DC and high-frequency characterization not only enables the construction of an accurate modeling framework, but also reveals the trap-related physical mechanisms within the device.