Mechanisms for Electrical Degradation of GaN High-Electron Mobility Transistors

Joh, Jungwoo; Alamo, J.A. del

doi:10.1109/iedm.2006.346799

Cited by 184 publications

(136 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…Degradation in I Dlin current collapse and uncollapsed I Dmax (and I Dlin ) start earlier at higher temperatures and the final value also increases as the stress temperature increases. This later observation is consistent with earlier studies [12]. The fact that permanent I Dlin evolves in a similar way as permanent I Dmax (Fig.…”

Section: Temperature Dependencesupporting

confidence: 82%

Time evolution of electrical degradation under high-voltage stress in GaN high electron mobility transistors

Joh

Alamo

2011

2011 International Reliability Physics Symposium

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Abstract-In this work, we investigate the time evolution of electrical degradation of GaN high electron mobility transistors under high voltage stress in the OFF state. We found that the gate current starts to degrade first, followed by degradation in current collapse and eventually permanent degradation in I D . We also found that the time evolution of gate current degradation is unaffected by temperature, while drain current degradation is thermally accelerated.

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Section: Temperature Dependencesupporting

confidence: 82%

Time evolution of electrical degradation under high-voltage stress in GaN high electron mobility transistors

Joh

Alamo

2011

2011 International Reliability Physics Symposium

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“…Recently, the lack of reliability of AlGaN/GaN devices has been explained by lattice defects introduced by the stress resulting from the mismatch and modulated by the piezoelectric effect [4]. However, the device performances and reliability may still be further improved by substituting the AlGaN barrier by InAlN.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Status of the Emerging InAlN/GaN Power HEMT Technology

Medjdoub¹,

Carlin²,

Gaquière³

et al. 2008

TOEEJ

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Abstract:The InAlN/GaN heterojunction appears to be a new alternative to the common AlGaN/GaN configuration with higher sheet charge density and higher thermal stability, promising very high power and temperature performance as well as robustness. This new system opens up the possibility to scale the barrier down to 5 nm while maintaining nearly its ideal materials and device properties. The status, focussing on the lattice matched materials configuration, is reviewed.

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“…The defects formed in the crystalline structure are permanent and therefore reduced performances of devices are permanent. This model is followed fairly well by GaN HEMT devices, supporting the hypothesis that electrically active defects are formed and are the cause of degradation [20].…”

Section: Inverse Piezoelectric Effectsupporting

confidence: 50%

“…This model is not followed well by GaN HEMT devices, weakening the hypothesis that hot electrons are the cause of their degradation [20].…”

Section: Hot Electronsmentioning

confidence: 99%

RF Reliability Comparison between DC Stressed and Non-DC-Stressed GaN-on-Si HEMTs in a 1GHz Class F Power Amplifier

White¹

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Gallium Nitride (GaN) is a wide band gap semiconductor with an energy gap of 3.4eV. The large energy gap of this III-V semiconductor gives it the ability to withstand high electric fields, high operating temperatures, and allows for high power density. These properties of GaN maintain their advantage at high frequencies and are ideal for use in power amplifiers.This thesis discusses the reliability of a GaN high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) used in a class F power amplifier configuration. GaN HEMTs have only been commercially available since 2006 and as a result their long term reliability is still under investigation. The mechanisms that cause device failures and reduced performance are not fully understood and current work continues to produce new theories as to why they occur and how they affect device performance. The mechanisms that cause changes in device performance have been heavily explored in DC studies. These are useful in understanding the mechanisms that may lead to a change in device performance. However, there is less literature investigating how these mechanisms affect the radio frequency (RF) performance of devices.Using the information gathered from literature about DC studies this thesis launches an investigation to observe the RF behavior of GaN HEMT amplifiers that have been subjected to DC stressing. The DC stressing consists of applying a large negative voltage to the gate terminal while connecting the drain and source terminals to ground. The applied voltage is large enough to cause permanent damage to the device. To perform the investigation four GaN class F power amplifiers are subjected to DC stressing while another four GaN class F power amplifiers receive no DC stressing. The performance of the two groups of amplifiers is compared and evaluated.The eight power amplifiers are constructed to output 4 watts of power. The output power and DC bias are continuously monitored for each test. After a DC stress test, consisting of -70V applied between the gate and drain/source terminals, four observations are noted. One, the drain current, and two, the output powers are initially reduced and recover after roughly a 3 hour period of time. Three, when operated for periods of time greatly exceeding the recovery period there are no differences seen in behavior between stressed and non-stressed amplifiers. These three observations happened in all the test runs. Four, a permanent gate leakage current is observed in all stressed amplifiers.v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

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Mechanisms for Electrical Degradation of GaN High-Electron Mobility Transistors

Cited by 184 publications

References 9 publications

Time evolution of electrical degradation under high-voltage stress in GaN high electron mobility transistors

Time evolution of electrical degradation under high-voltage stress in GaN high electron mobility transistors

Status of the Emerging InAlN/GaN Power HEMT Technology

RF Reliability Comparison between DC Stressed and Non-DC-Stressed GaN-on-Si HEMTs in a 1GHz Class F Power Amplifier

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