Utilization of waveform measurements for degradation analysis of AlGaN/GaN HFETs

This paper employs, for the first time, RF waveform engineering to monitor device degradation over an RF "burn in" period. Measured RF current and voltage waveforms are used to monitor the degradation effects seen in GaN HFET transistors during large signal CW RF stress testing. The technique provides extra information on device performance compared with standard RF performance measures, demonstrating clearly where on the output IV plane the degradation is occurring and allowing device designers advanced insight into the degradation mechanisms limiting RF performance.