Current Collapse Suppression by Gate Field-Plate in AlGaN/GaN HEMTs

Current collapse measurements have been performed for AlGaN/GaN high-electron-mobility transistors having identical breakdown voltages but with different field plate (FP) lengths. The results indicated that applying more positive ON-state gate biases resulted in pronounced recovery in the dynamic ON-resistance for the FP device, whereas no gate-bias effects were observed for the device without FP. The mechanism responsible for the reduced current collapse by FP is proposed, in which the key role is played during ON-state by the quick field-effect recovery of partial channel depletion caused by electron trapping at AlGaN surface states between gate and drain.