Progress in GaN Devices Performances and Reliability

摘要

With the DARPA Wide Bandgap Semiconductor Technology RF Thrust Contract, TriQuint Semiconductor and its partners, BAE Systems, Lockheed Martin, IQE-RF, II-VI, Nitronex, M.I.T., and R.P.I, are achieving great progress towards the overall goal of making Gallium Nitride a revolutionary RF technology ready to be inserted in defense and commercial applications. Performance and reliability are two critical components of success (along with cost and manufacturability). In this paper we will discuss these two aspects. Our emphasis is now operation at 40 V bias voltage (we had been working at 28 V). 1250 μm devices have power densities in the 6 to 9 W/mm with associated efficiencies in the low- to mid 60 % and associated gain in the 12 to 12.5 dB at 10 GHz. We are using a dual field-plate structure to optimize these performances. Very good performances have also been achieved at 18 GHz with 400 μm devices. Excellent progress has been made in reliability. Our preliminary DC and RF reliability tests at 40 V indicate a MTTF of lE6hrs withl.3 eV activation energy at 150 °C channel temperature. Jesus Del Alamo at MIT has greatly refined our initial findings leading to a strain related theory of degradation that is driven by electric fields. Degradation can occur on the drain edge of the gate due to excessive strain given by inverse piezoelectric effect.