Enhanced Performance of P-GaN Gate AlGaN/GaN High-Electron-Mobility Transistors for Power Applications

For decades, silicon (Si)-based transistors have been extremely successful in power applications that help to convert, manage, and control electric power. However, their performances are now close to their theoretical limits determined by the fundamental material properties of Si. GaN power transistors can provide better power efficiencies, faster speeds, and lower system costs. The leading GaN-based power transistors are p-GaN gate AlGaN/GaN high-electron-mobility transistors (HEMTs), though there are still room to improve their performances and reliabilities. This work presents a comprehensive study of p-GaN gate HEMTs. It demonstrated a new failure mechanism analysis method and three different methods to enhance the devices’ performances.