Title :
Broad-band electromagnetic radiation damage in GaAs MESFETs
Author :
McAdoo, J.H. ; Bollen, W.M. ; Catoe, W. ; Kaul, R.
Author_Institution :
Mission Res. Corp., Newington, VA, USA
Abstract :
A failure mechanism was observed for SiN/sub 2/-passivated metal-semiconductor field-effect-transistor (MESFET) devices exposed to fast-risetime DC video pulses. The intensity of the pulses was about 33% of the value required to cause single-pulse failure. The failure mechanism, which degrades performance by surface flashover and erosion of the passivation layer, eventually leads to sputtering of the gate-source metallization. The results were observed by using a combination of optical, electron, and X-ray micrographs, plus MESFET terminal parameters.<>
Keywords :
III-V semiconductors; Schottky gate field effect transistors; failure analysis; flashover; gallium arsenide; passivation; radiation effects; silicon compounds; solid-state microwave devices; surface discharges; MESFETs; SiN/sub 2/ passivation; SiN/sub 2/-GaAs; X-ray micrographs; broadband EM radiation; electromagnetic radiation damage; electron micrographs; failure mechanism; fast-risetime DC video pulses; field-effect-transistor; gate-source metallization; optical micrographs; passivation layer erosion; sputtering; surface flashover; terminal parameters; Degradation; Electromagnetic radiation; Failure analysis; Flashover; Gallium arsenide; MESFETs; Optical pulses; Passivation; Silicon compounds; Sputtering;
Conference_Titel :
Microwave and Millimeter-Wave Monolithic Circuits Symposium, 1992. Digest of Papers, IEEE 1992
Conference_Location :
Albuquerque, NM, USA
Print_ISBN :
0-7803-0677-5
DOI :
10.1109/MCS.1992.186036
