Accelerated thermal degradation testing of GAN HEMTs under high-temperature stress

Luo, Yanbin

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/132605 Copy

Description

Title

Accelerated thermal degradation testing of GAN HEMTs under high-temperature stress

Author(s)

Luo, Yanbin

Issue Date

2025-12-12

Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)

Wang, Pingfeng

Department of Study

Industrial&Enterprise Sys Eng

Discipline

Systems & Entrepreneurial Engr

Degree Granting Institution

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Degree Name

M.S.

Degree Level

Thesis

Keyword(s)

• Gallium Nitride (GaN) HEMTs
• Accelerated Thermal Degradation
• High-Temperature Reliability Testing
• On-State Resistance (RDS(on))
• Prognostics and Health Management (PHM)

Abstract

Gallium Nitride (GaN) high-electron-mobility transistors (HEMTs) are having increased applications in high-power and high-frequency conversion areas due to their superior switching speed, high breakdown voltage, and low conduction losses. Despite their advantages, GaN HEMTs are prone to performance degradation when exposed to elevated temperatures and electrical stress over long durations. This study aims to investigate the degradation behavior of commercial EPC90122 GaN HEMT devices under controlled high-temperature operating conditions. Accelerated degradation testing is conducted by heating the devices within a thermal chamber at 150 °C under high-current stress. An external circuit is connected to the switch node of the HEMT device to record on-state drain-source voltage, VDS (on), across a shunt resistor and the corresponding drain current, enabling the calculation of on-state drain-source resistance, RDS (on), throughout the stress period using offline measurement methods. The observed 10–25% increase in RDS (on) indicates progressive degradation likely associated with charge trapping and thermally induced mobility reduction. Results show that RDS (on) is a meaningful degradation indicator, supporting both reliability assessment and the development of prognostics and health management strategies for GaN power devices. The measurement approach allows researchers to continuously track the device health without applying intrusive and destructive test configurations. The findings and methodology also establish the foundation for future remaining useful life prediction and data driven prognostics model development, guiding the design of more robust GaN-based power electronics with improved thermal management and reliability margins.

Graduation Semester

2025-12

Type of Resource

Thesis

Handle URL

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/132605

Copyright and License Information

Copyright 2025 Yanbin Luo

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