Lifetime tests of 600-V GaN-on-Si power switches and HEMTs

We present the first systematic lifetime tests which show excellent long-term reliability for 600 V GaN-on-Si power switches.High voltage accelerated life testing in the OFF-state yields a field related mean-time-to-failure (MTTF) greater than 3 × 108 h for a 600 V operating condition. High temperature accelerated testing in the ON-state gives an MTTF of about 6 × 108h at a 150 °C use condition. High temperature operating life testing using hard switched boost converters at 175 °C shows no measurable device degradation after 3000 h of operation. These results show that the intrinsic reliability of the new device technology is more than adequate for commercial and industrial power electronics applications.