We report on the correlation between the electroluminescence and current collapse of AlGaN/GaN high-electron-mobility transistors (HEMTs). Standard passivated devices suffering from severe current collapse exhibited high-intensity whitish electroluminescence confined near the drain contact. In contrast, devices with reduced current collapse resulting from oxygen plasma treatment or GaN capping showed low-intensity reddish emission across the entire gate–drain access region. A qualitative explanation of this observed correlation between the current collapse and electroluminescence is presented. Our results demonstrate that electroluminescence analysis is a powerful tool not only for identifying high-field regions but also for assessing the degree of current collapse in AlGaN/GaN HEMTs.

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This paper describes breakdown characteristics of AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) with multi-finger gate patterns. We studied the spatial profile of electroluminescence (EL) from AlGaN/GaN HEMTs under high drain and near pinch-off gate bias. As a result, different EL emission profiles and breakdown characteristics were observed depending on the drain electrode pattern of the devices.

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