Low Dose 60Co Gamma-Irradiation Effects On Electronic Carrier Transport And Dc Characteristics Of Algan/Gan High-Electron-Mobility Transistors

Keywords

AlGaN/GaN; gamma-irradiation; High-electron-mobility transistor; lifetime; minority carrier diffusion length

Abstract

The impact of internal irradiation with secondary Compton electrons, generated by gamma-photons, on the characteristics of III-N/GaN-based devices was explored. N-channel AlGaN/GaN high-electron-mobility transistors (HEMTs) were exposed to gamma-radiation from a 60Co source for doses up to 600 Gy. Temperature-dependent electron beam-induced current (EBIC) was employed to measure minority carrier transport properties. For low doses below ∼250 Gy, the minority carrier diffusion length in AlGaN/GaN HEMTs is shown to increase by about 40%. This increase is likely due to longer minority carrier lifetime induced by internal Compton electron irradiation. An associated decrease in activation energy, extracted from temperature-dependent EBIC, was also found. The obtained increase in transconductance and decrease in gate leakage current indicate an improvement in performance of the devices after low doses of irradiation. For high doses of gamma-irradiation, above ∼300 Gy, the performance of HEMTs showed a deterioration. The deterioration results from the onset of increased carrier scattering due to additional radiation-induced defects, as is translated in a decrease of minority carrier diffusion length.

Publication Date

4-3-2017

Publication Title

Radiation Effects and Defects in Solids

Volume

172

Issue

3-4

Number of Pages

250-256

Document Type

Article

Personal Identifier

scopus

DOI Link

https://doi.org/10.1080/10420150.2017.1300903

Socpus ID

85015258809 (Scopus)

Source API URL

https://api.elsevier.com/content/abstract/scopus_id/85015258809

This document is currently not available here.

Share

COinS