We report for the first time operation of GaN Schottky rectifiers under cryogenic temperatures. A 600V, 4A GaN Schottky rectifiers from Velox Semiconductors has been used for the characterization. Forward conduction and reverse blocking performance was measured down to 77K. Two Schottky barrier heights have been noticed at low temperatures and a tunneling limited reverse leakage current was observed for the rectifier.

The performance of a 600 V gallium nitride Schottky rectifier at high temperatures up to 125 °C and cryogenic operation has been reported. A 600 V, 4 A GaN Schottky rectifier from Velox semiconductors has been used for the characterization. Forward conduction and reverse blocking performance was measured down to 77 K. Two Schottky barrier heights have been noticed at low temperatures and a tunnelling limited reverse leakage current was observed. The SPICE model parameters are also extracted for circuit simulation purposes (© 2011 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)