Characterization of Cross-Sectioned Gallium Nitride High-Electron-Mobility Transistors with In Situ Biasing

AlGaN/GaN high-electron-mobility transistors (HEMTs) were characterized in cross-section by Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM) during in situ biasing. The HEMTs used in this study were specially designed to maintain full and representative transistor functionality after cross-sectioning perpendicular to the gate width dimension to expose the active channel from source to drain. A cross-sectioning procedure was established that produces samples with high-quality surfaces and minimal degradation in initial transistor performance. A detailed description of the cross-sectioning procedure is provided. Samples were characterized by KPFM, effectively mapping the surface potential of the device in two-dimensional cross-section, including under metallization layers (i.e., gate, field plates, and ohmic contacts). Under the gate and field plate layers are where electric field, temperature, and temperature gradients are all most commonly predicted to have peak values, and where degradation and failure are most likely, and so this is where direct measurements are most critical. In this work, the surface potential of the operating device was mapped in cross-section by KPFM. Charge redistribution was observed during and after biasing, and the surface potential was seen to decay with time back to the prebias condition. This work is a first step toward directly mapping and localizing the steady-state and transient charge distribution due to point defects (traps) before, during, and after device operation, including normally inaccessible regions such as under metallization layers. Such measurements have not previously been demonstrated for GaN HEMT technology.