A low leakage current switch device (110) is provided which includes a GaN-on-Si substrate (11, 13) with one or more device mesas (41) in which isolation regions (92, 93) are formed using an implant mask (81) to implant ions (91) into an upper portion of the mesa sidewalls and the peripheral region around each elevated surface of the mesa structures exposed by the implant mask, thereby preventing the subsequently formed gate electrode (111) from contacting the peripheral edge and sidewalls of the mesa structures.

A semiconductor device includes a dual-stage Schottky barrier. The dual-stage Schottky barrier includes a first stage and a second stage. The first stage is formed over a substrate stack and includes an upper layer having a length corresponding to a gate length for the device. The second stage is formed at least partially over the first stage and includes a contact segment having a length less than the gate length.