Analysis of Trap-Induced Dynamic Degradation in AlGaN/GaN Gated-Edge Termination Schottky Barrier Diodes Under Continuous Switching Operation

Abstract

This work investigates the dynamic switching characteristics of gated-edge termination (GET) Schottky barrier diodes (SBDs) fabricated on a 200-V GaN-on-SOI platform, with an emphasis on performance under continuous switching conditions. A wafer-level continuous-switching methodology is employed to characterize the dynamic on-resistance and forward voltage under varying switching frequencies (100–300 kHz), duty cycles (30%–70%), off-state switching voltages (up to 200 V), and temperatures ( 25 ∘ C– 125 ∘ C). A capture-emission trapping model is used to extract time constants and explain the observed duty cycle- and temperature-dependent degradation behaviors. Through a systematic comparison of three field-plate configurations, the study reveals that an additional metal field plate effectively mitigates electric field crowding and trap occupation, which suppresses dynamic switching degradation. This work provides critical insights into the physical mechanisms governing degradation in AlGaN/GaN-based power SBDs, aiming to improve their dynamic switching stability.