Experimental analysis of HEMT behavior under low-temperatureconditions

An experimental analysis of high-electron-mobility transistor (HEMT) behavior under low-temperature conditions is presented. Specific measurements have been performed to investigate the deep-level trapping effects on basic device characteristics such as carrier concentration, electron mobility in the structure, and access resistances. The influence of the collapse phenomenon on the microwave device parameters completes the knowledge of these parasitic effects. Explanation of mechanisms responsible for the anomalous phenomena and means to suppress them are reported. Microwave parameters measurements demonstrate that HEMTs showing no parasitic collapse effects exhibit improved performance at 77 K. Large improvements of current gain cutoff frequency and noise figure are presented