1. Electrical and thermal failure modes of 600 V p-gate GaN HEMTs
- Author
-
Oeder, Thorsten, Castellazzi, Alberto, and Pfost, Martin
- Subjects
Gallium nitride (GaN), High electron mobility transistor (HEMT), P-doped gate (p-gate), Short-circuit, Safe operating area, Electrical failure, Thermal failure - Abstract
A study of electrical and thermal failure modes of 600 V p-doped GaN HEMTs is presented, which focuses on the investigation of short-circuit limitations. The electrical failure mode seems to be an electrical field breakdown in the structure which is caused by excessive carrier concentration, rather than primary thermal generated. Accordingly, a thermal failure mode is observed, which features a distinctive behaviour and seems to be similar to schottky-gate HEMTs. Concerning the electrical failure mode, a specific p-gate HEMT short-circuit safe operating area (SCSOA) is presented as a novelty. However, a short-circuit capability of up to 520 V can be achieved, regarding the design of the gate-drive circuit.
- Published
- 2017