Trapping processes related to iron and carbon doping in AlGaN/GaN power HEMTs

This paper reviews our recent results on the impact of iron and carbon compensation on the dynamic performance of GaN-HEMTs; based on pulsed and transient characterization, we demonstrate that: (i) the use of Fe-doping may lead to a significant current collapse, due to the presence of a trap with activation energy Ea=0.6eV. We discuss the properties of this trap and its physical origin; (ii) high C-doping levels may favor dynamic Ron increase, due to the presence of a trap level located at Ev+0.84 eV. The effect of this trap can be significantly reduced through the use of a double heterostructure.

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