Degraded model of radiation-induced acceptor defects for GaN-based high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs)

Using depletion approximation theory and introducing acceptor defects which can characterize radiation induced deep-level defects in AlGaN/GaN heterostructures, we set up a radiation damage model of AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) to separately simulate the effects of several main radiation damage mechanisms and the complete radiation damage effect simultaneously considering the degradation in mobility. Our calculated results, consistent with the experimental results, indicate that thin AlGaN barrier layer, high Al content and high doping concentration are favourable for restraining the shifts of threshold voltage in the AlGaN/GaN HEMT; when the acceptor concentration induced is less than 1014cm−3, the shifts in threshold voltage are not obvious; only when the acceptor concentration induced is higher than 1016cm−3, will the shifts of threshold voltage remarkably increase; the increase of threshold voltage, resulting from radiation induced acceptor, mainly contributes to the degradation in drain saturation current of the current–voltage (I–V) characteristic, but has no effect on the transconductance in the saturation area. (condensed matter: structure, thermal and mechanical properties)