Modeling Hot-Electron Trapping in GaN-based HEMTs

Hot electron trapping can significantly impact the performance of GaN-based HEMTs. Within this paper, the effect of current density and electric field on the severity of hot electron degradation is presented. The experiments demonstrate that: (i) we can isolate the hot electron trapping processes, (ii) the hot-electron induced performance degradation follows a logarithmic kinetic, which can be modeled by rate equations, and (iii) the amount of current collapse has a linear dependence on the applied electric field and a logarithmic dependence on the current density, in agreement with theoretical equations.