Influence of High-k Passivation Layer on Gate Field Plate AlGaN/GaN/AlGaN Double Heterojunction HEMT

Natarajan, Raghu N.; Parthasarathy, Eswaran; Murugapandiyan, P.

doi:10.1007/s12633-022-01746-z

Cited by 10 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…Such differences include passivation material and implementation of field rings. Simulation work was conducted by R. Natarajan et al on different passivation materials for GaN HEMT devices and found differences in the electric field distribution, thus influencing the breakdown voltage [28]. From a design perspective, increasing the number of field rings between the gate and drain of the GaN HEMT would better shield the passivation from a high localized electric field [29].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of GaN HEMTs in H3TRB Reliability Testing

et al. 2022

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Gallium Nitride (GaN) power devices can offer better switching performance and higher efficiency than Silicon Carbide (SiC) and Silicon (Si) devices in power electronics applications. GaN has extensively been incorporated in electric vehicle charging stations and power supplies, subjected to harsh environmental conditions. Many reliability studies evaluate GaN power devices through thermal stresses during current conduction or pulsing, with a few focusing on high blocking voltage and high humidity. This paper compares GaN-on-Si High-Electron-Mobility Transistors (HEMT) device characteristics under a High Humidity, High Temperature, Reverse Bias (H3TRB) Test. Twenty-one devices from three manufacturers were subjected to 85 °C and 85% relative humidity while blocking 80% of their voltage rating. Devices from two manufacturers utilize a cascade configuration with a silicon metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET), while the devices from the third manufacturer are lateral p-GaN HEMTs. Through characterization, three sample devices have exhibited degraded blocking voltage capability. The results of the H3TRB test and potential causes of the failure mode are discussed.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of GaN HEMTs in H3TRB Reliability Testing

et al. 2022

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“…In this work, the thickness of the passivation layer was fixed, whereas the permittivity k of the passivation material was varied for SiO 2 at 3.9, SiN at 7 and Al 2 O 3 at 9 [30]. The enhanced permittivity of the insulator will smoothen the electric field distributions along the barrier layer due to the uniform voltage drop across the high-k insulator [31]. Thus, the higher the k of the passivation material, the stronger the breakdown performance.…”

Section: The Device Structure Optimization Designmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mechanism Analysis and Multi-Scale Protection Design of GaN HEMT Induced by High-Power Electromagnetic Pulse

et al. 2022

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Currently, severe electromagnetic circumstances pose a serious threat to electronic systems. In this paper, the damage effects of a high-power electromagnetic pulse (EMP) on the GaN high-electron-mobility transistor (HEMT) were investigated in detail. The mechanism is presented by analyzing the variation in the internal distribution of multiple physical quantities in the device. The results reveal that the device damage was dominated by different thermal accumulation effects such as self-heating, avalanche breakdown and hot carrier emission during the action of the high-power EMP. Furthermore, a multi-scale protection design for the GaN HEMT against high-power electromagnetic interference (EMI) is presented and verified by a simulation study. The device structure optimization results demonstrate that the symmetrical structure, with the same distance from the gate to drain (Lgd) and gate to source (Lgs), possesses a higher damage threshold compared to the asymmetrical structure, and that a proper passivation layer, which enhances the breakdown characteristics, can improve the anti-EMI capability. The circuit optimization results present the influences of external components on the damage progress. The findings show that the resistive components which are in series at the source and gate will strengthen the capability of the device to withstand high-power EMP damage. All of the above conclusions are important for device reliability design using gallium nitride materials, especially when the device operates under severe electromagnetic circumstances.

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