Electrical Properties and Reliability of AlGaN/GaN High Electron Mobility Transistor under RF Overdrive Stress at High Temperature

We have investigated the electrical properties and reliability of AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors (HEMT) under high-temperature RF overdrive stress. The experimental results show that the drain current and transconductance of the device decrease at 25 °C and 55 °C but do not change significantly at 85 °C before and after the stress. The decline rate of the saturation drain current, the degradation amplitude of transconductance, and the drift amplitude of threshold voltage decrease with the increase in temperature. The results of pulse - and low-frequency noise tests show that the current collapse is inhibited, and the trap density is reduced at higher temperatures. The Electroluminescence (EL) test shows that the luminescence characteristics of the device after RF overdrive stress are more scattered and weaker. We believe that the degradation at lower temperatures is mainly due to the influence of the hot electron effect (HEE), while the change in electrical properties at higher temperatures is due to the weakening of HEE and the improvement of the Schottky interface.