Hot-electron-induced degradation of pseudomorphic high-electron mobility transistors

Tkachenko, Y.A.; Wei, Chang; Hwang, J.C.M.; Harris, T. D.; Grober, Robert D.; Hwang, D. M.; Aucoin, L.; Shanfield, S.

doi:10.1109/mcs.1995.470978

Cited by 34 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…On the other hand, drain current decrease has also been reported [3][4][5][6], as well as an increase of the peak transconductance [5,7,8]. Canali et al, even reports a device that shows no significant change whatsoever post stress (for their given stress condition) [7].…”

Section: Reliability Concerns Of the Phemtmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…(2) The AlGaAs spacer layer. This material is prone to DX traps which have been known to degrade DC performance and cause threshold voltage, V T , shifts [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]. (3) The Schottky interface: if an oxide is present in between the gate metal and AlGaAs spacer layer, charges may become trapped, causing V T shifts as well [2].…”

Section: Reliability Concerns Of the Phemtmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The high sudden amount of current merits discussion and has been the scope of many researchers' work [2][3][4][5][6][7][8]. This current arises from impact ionization due to a high drain voltage, consisting of what has become to be known as ''hot carriers'', ''hot electrons'', or ''hot holes''.…”

Section: Reliability Concerns Of the Phemtmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The reliability of the pHEMT is a subject matter that has been studied by several authors, [2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10] and continues to be important due to the high demands of military and commercial applications for continuous low power consumption, high efficiency and superb performance. It is therefore important to understand the physical mechanisms involved behind the reliability of pHEMT devices.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Examination of hot carrier effects of the AlGaAs/InGaAs pHEMT through device simulation

Steighner¹,

Yuan²

2012

Microelectronics Reliability

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Section: Reliability Concerns Of the Phemtmentioning

confidence: 98%

Section: Reliability Concerns Of the Phemtmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Reliability Concerns Of the Phemtmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Examination of hot carrier effects of the AlGaAs/InGaAs pHEMT through device simulation

Steighner¹,

Yuan²

2012

Microelectronics Reliability

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“…Probably the most common explanations involve some kind of electron trapping in the region between the gate and drain. Many have proposed that impact ionization on the drain side of the device (due to the high electric field) generates hot electrons which create traps in the drain access region [6,12]. This is schematically illustrated in Fig.…”

Section: Gaas Phemt Reliabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Electrical degradation mechanisms of RF power GaAs PHEMTs

Villanueva

Alamos

Hisaka³

et al.

IEEE International Electron Devices Meeting 2003

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GaAs Pseudomorphic High-Electron Mobility Transistors (PHEMTs) are widely used in RF power applications. Since these devices typically operate at high power levels and under high voltage biasing, their electrical reliability is of serious concern. Previous studies have identified several distinct degradation phenomena in these devices, but a complete picture has yet to be formed.In this study, we have carried out a comprehensive study of the mechanisms of electrical degradation on a set of experimental RF power GaAs PHEMTs (non-commercial devices provided by our sponsor, Mitsubishi Electric). A wide variety of electrical stressing experiments employing different conditions (varying temperature, bias, environment) were performed on these devices in order to monitor their degradation with stressing.Our general observations showed several forms of degradation, the most concerning being an increase in the drain resistance RD and a reduction in maximum drain current Ima. Contrary to what is often claimed in the literature, our experiments indicated that these forms of degradation were not driven by impact-ionization or hot-electron effects. Instead, we found the degradation to be strongly correlated with temperature, stressing environment, and drain-gate bias, which were all consistent with a corrosion mechanism. Via materials analysis we were able to confirm that the degradation of both RD and I,., were due to surface corrosion on the drain side of the device, albeit at different specific locations. The increase in RD was attributed to oxidation on the n+GaAs ledge, while the reduction in I, was due to oxidation on the AlGaAs surface, closer to the gate.A recoverable negative shift in the threshold voltage VT and a permanent decrease in Rs were also observed during electrical stressing. The shift in VT was attributed to field-assisted tunneling of electrons out of traps under the gate, while the decrease in Rs was found to be consistent with recombination-induced annealing of defects on the source side of the device.

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The effect of hot electron stress on the dc and microwave characteristics of AlGaAs/InGaAs/GaAs PHEMTs

Menozzi

Borgarino

Cova

et al. 1996

Microelectronics Reliability

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Hot-electron-induced degradation of pseudomorphic high-electron mobility transistors

Cited by 34 publications

References 3 publications

Examination of hot carrier effects of the AlGaAs/InGaAs pHEMT through device simulation

Examination of hot carrier effects of the AlGaAs/InGaAs pHEMT through device simulation

Electrical degradation mechanisms of RF power GaAs PHEMTs

The effect of hot electron stress on the dc and microwave characteristics of AlGaAs/InGaAs/GaAs PHEMTs

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