Effect of Temperature Cycling, High Temperature Storage and Steady-State Operation Life Test on Reliability of GaN HEMTs

With the advantages of high frequency and high power performance capabilities, AlGaN/GaN high-electron-mobility transistors (HEMTs) have attracted more and more attention. However, the reliability under stress conditions limits the application of GaN HEMTs in microwave power markets. In this paper, the effect of temperature and voltage on GaN HEMTs reliability were studied. A temperature cycling test with the temperature range from -55°C to 175°C, a high temperature storage test of 175°C and a steady-state operation life test with the channel temperature of 175°C have been conducted on GaN HEMTs. The variation of key parameters such as drain current (I
DS
), threshold voltage (V
GS(th)
), gate-to-source leakage current (I
Gss
) have been analyzed before and after the test.