Patent ID: 7777254

Claim:
A field-effect semiconductor device comprising: (a) a first semiconductor layer of a first semiconducting material, the first semiconductor layer having a major surface comprised of a pair of spaced-apart parts with a midpart therebetween; (b) a baffle formed on the midpart of the surface of the first semiconductor layer; (c) a deposit of a second semiconducting material on the major surface of the first semiconductor layer, the deposit comprising a second semiconductor layer grown continuously on the pair of spaced-apart parts of the major surface of the first semiconductor layer for creating a two-dimensional carrier gas layer in the first semiconductor layer, and a discontinuous growth layer grown discontinuously on the midpart of the major surface of the first semiconductor layer via the baffle for normally creating a hiatus in the two-dimensional carrier gas layer in the first semiconductor layer; (d) a source electrode electrically coupled to the two-dimensional carrier gas layer in the first semiconductor layer; (e) a drain electrode electrically coupled to the two-dimensional carrier gas layer in the first semiconductor layer, the drain electrode being spaced from the source electrode; and (f) a gate electrode on the discontinuous growth layer for control of conduction between the source electrode and the drain electrode, wherein the first and the second semiconducting material are a first and a second semiconducting nitride, respectively, the second semiconducting nitride being higher in bandgap than the first, and wherein the first semiconducting nitride contains at least gallium and nitrogen, and wherein the second semiconducting nitride contains at least gallium, nitrogen, and either of aluminum and indium.