Effect of Stress Voltage and Temperature on the Reliability of AlGaN/GaN HEMTs for RF and Microwave Application

• Published in: Physica status solidi. A, Applications and materials science Applications and materials science, 2024-07, Vol.221 (13), p.n/a
• Main Authors: Chakraborty, Surajit, Amir, Walid, Hoshi, Takuya, Tsutsumi, Takuya, Sugiyama, Hiroki, Kim, Tae-Woo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Activation energy; AlGaN/GaN; Aluminum gallium nitrides; channel temperature; Current leakage; Dissipation factor; Energy dissipation; Gallium nitrides; High electron mobility transistors; Leakage current; Semiconductor devices; stress test; Temperature dependence; Threshold voltage; voltage acceleration factor
• ISSN: 1862-6300; 1862-6319
• DOI: 10.1002/pssa.202300583

The mean‐time‐to‐failure (MTTF) of AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistor is demonstrated by considering both voltage and temperature dependent electrical degradation in on‐wafer devices. The characteristics of threshold voltage shift (ΔVT) and gate leakage current (Ig_leak) after off‐state step and VDS = 0 step stress test are reported. The devices under test are being DC stressed (high operation life‐time test) in semi‐on‐state conditions at constant power dissipation of 2 W mm−1 for more or less than 200 h until the maximum drain current (Idmax) drops by 15%. Under low stress voltage (10 V), we find activation energies (Ea) and voltage acceleration factor (γ) to be 0.32 eV and 0.09 V−1, respectively, while increasing stress voltage up to 20 V results in increased activation energies of 0.68 and 0.16 eV. The MTTF is estimated to be 1.16 × 104 h at VDS = 20 V, while stressing at low bias gives a high MTTF of 2.20 × 104 h at VDS = 10 V. This research analyzes the mean‐time‐to‐failure (MTTF) of AlGaN/GaN high‐electron‐mobility transistors, considering voltage and temperature‐dependent degradation factors. DC stress in semi‐on‐state conditions reveals activation energies and voltage acceleration factors. Emphasizing concurrent voltage and temperature assessments, MTTF is calculated under diverse stress parameters, crucial for ensuring sustained reliability in the development of AlGaN/GaN transistors for high‐frequency power devices.