Electric-field-driven degradation in off-state step-stressed AlGaN/GaN high-electron mobility transistors

Chih Yang Chang, E. A. Douglas, Jinhyung Kim, Liu Lu, Chien Fong Lo, Byung Hwan Chu, D. J. Cheney, B. P. Gila, F. Ren, G. D. Via, David A. Cullen, Lin Zhou, David J. Smith, Soohwan Jang, S. J. Pearton

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    48 Scopus citations

    Abstract

    The critical degradation voltage of AlGaN/GaN high-electron mobility transistors during off-state electrical stress was determined as a function of Ni/Au gate dimensions (0.10.17 μ), drain bias voltage, and source/draingate contact distance. Devices with different gate lengths and gatedrain distances were found to exhibit the onset of degradation at different sourcedrain biases but similar electric field strengths, showing that the degradation mechanism is primarily field driven. The degradation field was calculated to be 1.8 MV/cm by Automatically Tuned Linear Algebra Software simulations. Transmission electron microscopy imaging showed creation of defects under the gate after dc stress.

    Original languageEnglish
    Article number5678846
    Pages (from-to)187-193
    Number of pages7
    JournalIEEE Transactions on Device and Materials Reliability
    Volume11
    Issue number1
    DOIs
    StatePublished - Mar 2011

    Funding

    Manuscript received June 1, 2010; revised July 10, 2010, November 23, 2010, and December 16, 2010; accepted December 22, 2010. Date of publication January 6, 2011; date of current version March 9, 2011. This work was supported in part by the AFOSR MURI monitored by Kitt Reinhardt and in part by Arizona State University under AFRL Contract FA8650-08-C-1395 (monitored by C. Bozada, WPAFB).

    Keywords

    • AlGaN
    • GaN
    • degradation
    • high-electron mobility transistor (HEMT)

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