RELIABILITY TESTING FOR GAN SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES FOR HTOL APPLICATIONS

Abstract

The U.S. Navy is starting to investigate the use of GaN semiconductor devices for high-power, high-current, and high-voltage applications. There is vested interest in powering new weapon systems using these devices. The goal of this research is to perform reliability testing for GaN semiconductor devices to test for degradation over long-term use at high temperatures, voltages, and currents. Degradation will be determined using photon emissions from the devices. The testing will be completed for both the forward and reverse bias cases. The goal is to determine how reliable the devices are, and what are the means by which they degrade over time.