Radiation damage in GaN-based materials and devices

Erin Patrick, Mark E. Law, S. J. Pearton, Richard Deist, Fan Ren, Lu Liu, A. Y. Polyakov, Jihyun Kim

    Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

    3 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    A review of the effects of proton, neutron, γ-ray and electron irradiation on GaN materials and devices is presented. Neutron irradiation tends to create disordered regions in the GaN, while the damage from the other forms of radiation is more typically point defects. In all cases, the damaged region contains carrier traps that reduce the mobility and conductivity of the GaN and at high enough doses, a significant degradation of device performance. GaN is several orders of magnitude more resistant to radiation damage than GaAs of similar doping concentrations. In terms of heterostructures, preliminary data suggests that the radiation hardness decreases in the order AlN/GaN >AlGaN/GaN > InAlN/GaN, consistent with the average bond strengths in the Al-based materials. The radiation damage can alter electric field profiles and drain current due to trapped negative charge and lead to increased breakdown voltages and apparent reliability. Simulations of this effect show good agreement with experiments. We also discuss the literature on effects of different radiation types on the performance of GaN-based high electron mobility transistors.

    Original languageEnglish
    Title of host publication8th Pacific Rim International Congress on Advanced Materials and Processing 2013, PRICM 8
    PublisherJohn Wiley and Sons Inc.
    Pages1753-1764
    Number of pages12
    ISBN (Print)9781632660008
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2013
    Event8th Pacific Rim International Congress on Advanced Materials and Processing 2013, PRICM 8 - Waikoloa, HI, United States
    Duration: 2013 Aug 42013 Aug 9

    Publication series

    Name8th Pacific Rim International Congress on Advanced Materials and Processing 2013, PRICM 8
    Volume2

    Other

    Other8th Pacific Rim International Congress on Advanced Materials and Processing 2013, PRICM 8
    Country/TerritoryUnited States
    CityWaikoloa, HI
    Period13/8/413/8/9

    Keywords

    • AlGaN
    • GaN
    • Radiation damage

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials

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