An apparatus includes a substrate; a group III-Nitride barrier layer; a source electrically coupled to the group III-Nitride barrier layer; a gate on the group III-Nitride barrier layer; a drain electrically coupled to the group III-Nitride barrier layer; a p-region being arranged at or below the group III-Nitride barrier layer; and a recovery enhancement circuit configured to reduce an impact of an overload received by the gate. Additionally, at least a portion of the p-region is arranged vertically below at least one of the following: the source, the gate, an area between the gate and the drain.

A first regrowth layer and a second regrowth layer comprising GaAs having high resistance are regrown on a surface of an etching stop layer exposed to the bottom of a first groove and a second groove, and then n-type InGaAs is regrown on the first regrowth layer and the second regrowth layer, whereby a source region and a drain region configured to make contact with a channel layer are formed in the first groove and the second groove respectively.

A semiconductor device includes a first and a second nitride-based semiconductor layers, a first p-type doped nitride-based semiconductor layer, a first and a second electrodes. The first p-type doped nitride-based semiconductor layer is disposed above the second nitride-based semiconductor layer and has a bottom surface in contact with the second nitride-based semiconductor layer. The first p-type doped nitride-based semiconductor layer has a hydrogen concentration which decrementally decreases along a direction pointing from the bottom surface toward a top surface of the first p-type doped nitride-based semiconductor layer. The first electrode is disposed on the first p-type doped nitride-based semiconductor layer and in contact with the top surface of the first p-type doped nitride-based semiconductor layer. The second electrode is disposed above the second nitride-based semiconductor layer to define a drift region.

GaN devices with a modified heterojunction structure and methods of making thereof are described. The GaN device comprises a heterojunction structure modified to include one or more deactivated regions. The heterojunction structure of the deactivated regions has different structural configurations than that of the as-grown heterojunction structure. The locally confined structural alteration of the heterojunction structure weakens or prohibits 2DEG formation in the deactivated regions. Moreover, the amount of net charges mapped to a field plate positioned above the heterojunction structure can be locally reduced or eliminated. Consequently, the electric field present between the heterojunction structure and the field plate can be reduced.

Methods and apparatuses for detecting ammonia are disclosed. A sensor can include a transistor having a gate, a drain, and a source. A layer of ammonia detecting material can be functionally attached to the transistor. The ammonia detecting material can be zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods, which effectively functionalize the transistor by changing the amount of current that flows through the gate when a voltage is applied. Alternatively, or in addition to ZnO nanorods, films or nanostructure type metal oxides including TiO2, ITO, ZnO, WO.sub.3 and AZO can be used. The transistor is preferably a high electron mobility transistor (HEMT).

A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device comprises forming a bottom source/drain region on a semiconductor substrate, forming a channel region extending vertically from the bottom source/drain region, growing a top source/drain region from an upper portion of the channel region, and growing a gate region from a lower portion of the channel region under the upper portion, wherein the gate region is on more than one side of the channel region.

A semiconductor device may include a first inverter, a second inverter, a first access transistor, and a second access transistor. A drain electrode of the first access transistor or a source electrode of the first access transistor may be electrically connected to both an output terminal of the first inverter and an input terminal the second inverter. The drain electrode of the first access transistor may be asymmetrical to the source electrode of the first access transistor with reference to a gate electrode of the first access transistor. A drain electrode of the second access transistor or a source electrode of the second access transistor may be electrically connected to both an output terminal of the second inverter and an input terminal the first inverter.

A MESFET transistor on a horizontal substrate surface with at least one wiring layer on the substrate surface. The transistor comprises source, drain and gate electrodes which are at least partly covered by a semiconducting channel layer. The source, drain and gate electrodes optionally comprise interface contact materials for changing the junction type between each electrode and the channel. The interface between the source electrode and the channel is an ohmic junction, the interface between the drain electrode and the channel is an ohmic junction, and the interface between the gate electrode and the channel is a Schottky junction. The substrate is a CMOS substrate.

An embodiment of a semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate that includes a channel, a first dielectric layer disposed over the semiconductor substrate, and a regrown contact formed through a first opening in the first dielectric layer. The regrown contact includes a regrown region formed over the semiconductor substrate, an overhang region coupled to the regrown region and formed over the first dielectric layer, adjacent the first opening, and a conductive cap formed over the regrown region and the overhang region. A method for fabricating the semiconductor device includes forming the first dielectric layer over the semiconductor substrate, forming the first opening in the first dielectric layer, forming a regrown semiconductor layer within the first opening and over the first dielectric layer, forming a conductive cap over the regrown semiconductor layer, and etching the regrown semiconductor layer outside the conductive cap.

A field effect transistor for a high voltage operation can include vertical current paths, which may include vertical surface regions of a pedestal semiconductor portion that protrudes above a base semiconductor portion. The pedestal semiconductor portion can be formed by etching a semiconductor material layer employing a gate structure as an etch mask. A dielectric gate spacer can be formed on sidewalls of the pedestal semiconductor portion. A source region and a drain region may be formed underneath top surfaces of the base semiconductor portion. Alternatively, epitaxial semiconductor material portions can be grown on the top surfaces of the base semiconductor portions, and a source region and a drain region can be formed therein. Alternatively, a source region and a drain region can be formed within via cavities in a planarization dielectric layer.