Degradation Mechanisms of Gate leakage in GaN-based HEMTs at Low Dose Rate Irradiation

• Published in: IEEE access 2024-01, Vol.12, p.1-1
• Main Authors: Li, Xiaolong, Wang, Xin, Liu, Mohan, Zhu, Kunfeng, Shui, Guohua, Zheng, Qiwen, Cui, Jiangwei, Lu, Wu, Li, Yudong, Guo, Qi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aluminum gallium nitrides; Current leakage; Degradation; Dehydrogenation; Electrons; Gallium nitride; Gallium nitrides; Gate leakage; HEMTs; High electron mobility transistors; Leakage current; Leakage currents; Logic gates; low dose rate irradiation; MODFETs; p-GaN high-electron-mobility transistor (HEMT); Radiation dosage; Radiation effects; Semiconductor devices; Transconductance
• ISSN: 2169-3536; 2169-3536
• DOI: 10.1109/ACCESS.2024.3368870

In this paper, we investigated an experimental analysis of the degradation caused by low dose rate irradiation in GaN-based high-electron-mobility transistors (HEMTs) with a p-type gate. Combined with experimental frequency-dependent conductance (G p /ω) analyses and TCAD simulations, it has been demonstrated that the negative shifts in both I d -V gs and V th are primarily due to the formation of donor-like traps near the p-GaN/AlGaN interface, which is a result of the dehydrogenation of pre-existing defects during low dose rate irradiation. Additionally, the results of the TCAD simulations, indicate that the trap-assisted tunneling (TAT) process, which involves the recombination of trap-assisted holes with electrons in the p-GaN layer, may dominate the physical mechanisms responsible for the increase in gate leakage current (I g -V gs ). These results may provide a basis for understanding the role of radiation-induced traps on electrical parameters degradations for p-GaN gate HEMTs.