Failure Mechanism of a Low-Energy-Triggered Bulk Gallium Arsenide Avalanche Semiconductor Switch: Simulated Analysis and Experimental Results

The failure mechanism is discussed numerically and experimentally in a low-energy-triggered bulk gallium arsenide avalanche semiconductor switch with ultrafast switching. The characteristics of current density distribution along contacts are investigated, and the density at the contact neighboring the active region is found to be higher than that of the average of the structure. In particular, the peak amplitude of the current density by cathode triggering is higher than that by anode triggering. The ultrahigh current density first damages the contacting metal neighboring the active region, and the switch is vulnerable to degrade by cathode triggering. Longevity improvement was achieved experimentally in the anode-triggered switches in contrast with cathode-triggered switches, which validates the deduction of numerical analysis.