Temperature-Dependent Instabilities of DC characteristics in AlGaN/GaN-on-Si Heterojunction Field Effect Transistors

We have performed reverse gate bias stress tests on AlGaN/GaN-on-Si Heterostructure FETs (HFETs). The shift of threshold voltage (Vth) and the reduction of on-current were observed from the stressed devices. These changes of the device parameters were not permanent. We investigated the temporary behavior of the stressed devices by analyzing the temperature dependence of the instabilities and TCAD simulation. As the baseline temperature of the electrical stress tests increased, the changes of the Vth and the on-current were decreased. The on-current reduction was caused by the positive shift of the Vth and the increased resistance of the gate-to-source and the gate-to-drain access region. Our experimental results suggest that electron- trapping effect into the shallow traps in devices is the main cause of observed instabilities.