The Interplay Between Deep Level Effects and Reliability in Deep Submicron-Gate GaN HEMTs for RF Applications

Scaling of gate dimension in GaN HEMTs for microwave and mm-wave applications requires significant modifications in the epi structure. In this talk we will analyze GaN HEMTs adopting different strategies for substrate isolation, including Fe and C doping, and backbarriers. Deep levels induce dispersion effects like dynamic on-resistance and threshold voltage. Due to electric field modifications induced by trapped charge, device dynamic breakdown and short-term reliability are also affected. The talk will present some examples of the interplay between deep level effects and reliability related to 0.1–0.15µm-gate GaN HEMTs.