TEM Observation of Crack- and Pit-Shaped Defects in Electrically Degraded GaN HEMTs

AlGaN/GaN high-electron mobility transistors stressed under dc bias at various channel temperatures were studied using transmission electron microscopy for evidence of physical damage. Stressed devices consistently developed crack- and pit-shaped defects in the AlGaN/GaN crystal material under the drain-side edge of the gate, whereas side-by-side as-processed unstressed devices did not show these features. Furthermore, the amount of physical damage was found to correlate to the amount of electrical degradation as measured by the change in ID max from before and after stress. The formation of these defects is consistent with the theory of damage from the inverse piezoelectric effect.