Low frequency noise measurements as a characterization tool for reliability assessment in AlGaN/GaN High-Electron-Mobility Transistors (HEMTs)

Abstract

AlGaN/GaN High-Electron-Mobility Transistors (HEMTs) have received considerable attention for the material advantages. Even though some improvements were achieved recently by various approaches, GaN-based devices are still far to be as reliable as other devices. The low frequency noise measurement technology is a powerful tool to study the most frequent causes of failure in compound semiconductors. In this paper, low frequency noise measurements were performed on AlGaN/GaN high-electron-mobility transistors (HEMTs) under different bias over the entire frequency range of 1Hz–100kHz. The transistor parameters and the drain noise spectra were presented. The noise spectra exhibited frequency dependence on the biasing point, and the drain current noise measurements are performed to analyze the origins of noise in channel or access regions.