Trap characterization of GaN High-electron-mobility Transistors Based on the Transient Drain Voltage

Abstract In this work, we presented a comprehensive investigation of the trapping effect in the GaN-based high-electron-mobility transistors (HEMTs) under the negative gate-source voltage condition. The trapping mechanisms in the OFF state were analyzed and the trapping behaviors were characterized using the pulsed measurements preliminarily. Specifically, the transient drain-source voltage curves under a certain filling condition were monitored to reflect the trapping effect in the OFF state. The spectra of time constant and differential amplitude were combined to obtain the information on traps. Three traps with activation energys of 0.467, 0.552, and 0.067 eV were characterized using the transient drain voltage curves under different temperatures. The trap characterization methods may be useful for the further study of the trapping behaviors and can be helpful for the improvement of the reliability of the devices.