Degradation mechanism of the AlInAs/GaInAs high electron mobility transistor due to fluorine incorporation

The electrical degradation of AlInAs/GaInAs high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) due to the fluorine contamination is quantitatively explained through the comprehensive annealing experiments and bias-temperature tests. The thermal degradation rate is found to be mainly determined by the following electrochemical reaction of fluorine with donor species after the quite fast diffusion of fluorine into the AlInAs layer. It is also confirmed that the thermal degradation is stringently affected by the electric field resulting in the one-sided degradation near the anode. These findings are valuable knowledges in improving the reliability of AlInAs/GaInAs HEMT under the de accelerated life test at high temperature. (C) 1996 American Institute of Physics.