Voltage Dependent Characteristics of 48V AlGaN/GaN High Electron Mobility Transistor Technology on Silicon Carbide

Abstract

Gallium Nitride based HEMTs are a promising technology for high voltage, high power, high frequency applications. In addition to the potential for high operating voltage, this technology may also be suited for applications that utilize modulation of the drain voltage to improve overall amplifier efficiency. RFMD has developed a GaN HEMT technology platform on semi-insulating SiC substrates. This technology includes a 0.5pm gate process and advanced field plate designs to maximize device performance. We report on devices from this technology, operated over a range of drain bias conditions. Performance and reliability results illustrate the compatibility of this device technology for high voltage and variable voltage applications.

Reliability issues of Gallium Nitride High Electron Mobility Transistors

“…As previously mentioned, thanks to the properties of the GaN material (high energy gap and high breakdown) AlGaN/GaN and InAlN/GaN HEMTs can operate at voltages substantially higher than those which can be sustained by other semiconductor devices. These very high bias conditions, however, induce very high electric field within the device active area that can result in severe device degradation [10, 11]. Improvements in reliability require a better understanding of failure mechanisms of GaN HEMTs, which can represent a major challenge due to the peculiarities of the physics of GaN devices, to material imperfection, to the stability of fabrication processes.…”

Reliability evaluation and failure analysis of AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistor by photo emission microscope

“…With AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) technologies increasingly being explored for use in the high power radar and satellite communications industry, a great attention was paid to improve their reliability [1][2][3]. In this paper, we demonstrate the use of photo emission microscope on evaluate and analyze the EL intensity and distribution in device during the OFF-state step-stress experiment and after stress.…”