Abstract
Electroluminescence microscopy and spectroscopy have been used to investigate hot electron concentration and electron temperature during RF operation. Two modes of operation were chosen, Class B and Class J, and compared with DC conditions. Hot electron concentration and temperature were on average lower for both RF modes than under comparative DC conditions. While these average values suggest that degradation due exclusively to hot electrons may be lower for RF than for DC conditions, the peak values in EL intensity and electric field along dynamic load lines have also to be taken into account and these are higher under Class J than Class B.
Highlights
AlGaN/GaN high-electron-mobility transistors (HEMTs) offer a very promising solution to the increasing demand for high power switches and radio frequency (RF) power amplifiers
The results suggested that potential hot electron degradation mechanisms under Class B mode could be lower than under DC if no other degradation mechanisms were present
Class B operation involves applying a resistive load at the fundamental frequency and a short circuit to higher harmonics, and was selected since it is commonly used for delivering high power added efficiency (PAE)
Summary
AlGaN/GaN high-electron-mobility transistors (HEMTs) offer a very promising solution to the increasing demand for high power switches and radio frequency (RF) power amplifiers. RF degradation tests are expensive to perform and not always trivial to interpret [1], pulsed I-V signal configuration and DC lifetime testing are often used as alternatives [4] It is not fully clear how reliable DC. Electroluminescence (EL) imaging and spectroscopy have been shown in the past to be efficient tools for monitoring hot electron concentrations and energy during operation [6,10,11,12] as well as for assessment of device degradation after test. The comparative analysis in terms of hot electrons of these two modes, which represent two extremes on a continuum of modes having different maximum drain voltage swings, but which cannot be distinguished by simple RF performance measurements, is important in assessing the vulnerability of power amplifiers to degradation
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