Title :
A Gate Overdrive Protection Technique for Improved Reliability in AlGaN/GaN Enhancement-Mode HEMTs
Author :
Kwan, Alex Man Ho ; Chen, Kevin J.
Author_Institution :
Dept. of Electron. & Comput. Eng., Hong Kong Univ. of Sci. & Technol., Kowloon, China
Abstract :
On a GaN smart power integrated-circuit platform, a monolithically integrated gate-protected high-voltage AlGaN/GaN enhancement-/depletion-mode high-electron mobility transistor (HEMT) has been proposed. It can sustain large input gate voltage swing (>; 20 V) with enhanced safety (no gate failure observed) and improved reliability (no observable shifting of the threshold voltage), and the breakdown voltage is not sacrificed. Such a protection scheme with a wide input gate bias range also facilitates simple and reliable connections between the gate driver circuits and the power switches without the level shifter circuits for conventional GaN Schottky gate power HEMTs.
Keywords :
III-V semiconductors; Schottky gate field effect transistors; aluminium compounds; driver circuits; gallium compounds; power HEMT; power integrated circuits; power semiconductor switches; semiconductor device reliability; wide band gap semiconductors; AlGaN-GaN; Schottky gate power HEMT; breakdown voltage; depletion-mode high-electron mobility transistor; enhancement-mode HEMT; gate bias range; gate driver circuits; gate overdrive protection technique; monolithically integrated gate-protected high-voltage enhancement mode high-electron mobility transistor; power switches; reliability; smart power integrated-circuit platform; Aluminum gallium nitride; D-HEMTs; Gallium nitride; Logic gates; MODFETs; Threshold voltage; High-voltage gate drive; monolithic integration of enhancement-/depletion-mode (E/D-mode) AlGaN/GaN high-electron mobility transistor (HEMT); reliability;
Journal_Title :
Electron Device Letters, IEEE
DOI :
10.1109/LED.2012.2224632
