AlGaN/GaN HEMT Reliability Assessment by means of Low Frequency Noise Measurements

Although impressive results have been published for GaN-based transistors in a large frequency range reliability demonstration is becoming an important subject of concern. In this article the conditions of a long term DC life test is presented and a detailed description of pre- and post-test characterization by means of Low Frequency Noise measurements (LFN) is discussed. The transistor parameters (IDSS, Ron, Vp) and the drain noise spectra presented an evolution strictly related to the biasing point during the stress. This demonstrates that LFN measurement is a useful tool to investigate degradation in GaN HEMTs.