Electrostatic Mechanisms Responsible for Device Degradation in Proton Irradiated AlGaN/AlN/GaN HEMTs

Displacement-damage induced degradation in AlGaN/AlN/GaN HEMTs with polarization charge induced 2DEGs is examined using simulations and experiments. Carrier removal in the unintentionally doped AlGaN layer changes the space charge in the structure and this changes the band bending. The band bending decreases the 2DEG density, which in turn reduces the drain current in the device. The effect of the defect energy levels on the 2DEG density is also studied. The interplay between carrier removal, mobility degradation, and the charged defects is analyzed and quantified.