Real-time evolution of performance in <i>β</i> -Ga2O3 Schottky barrier diodes under on-state stress

Abstract

β-Ga2O3 is rapidly emerging as a leading material for next-generation high-power electronic devices due to its exceptional material properties, such as a high breakdown field and a superior Baliga's figure of merit. Vertical β-Ga2O3 Schottky barrier diodes (SBDs) offer advantages, including high on-current density and efficient chip area utilization; however, these benefits also result in elevated power density. Due to the low thermal conductivity of β-Ga2O3, the junction temperature during forward operation is potentially higher than that of SiC and GaN devices, which poses a greater challenge to its long-term reliability. A comprehensive understanding of the on-state reliability for the β-Ga2O3 SBDs is still lacking. Here, we address this gap by employing a measure–stress–measure approach to systematically investigate the real-time degradation and recovery behavior of key performance parameters—turn-on voltage (Von) and on-resistance (Ron)—in the β-Ga2O3 SBDs. We subject these devices to prolonged forward bias stress (5–9 V) and varying temperature conditions (25–125 °C) to assess their degradation characteristics and mechanisms. Notably, at an operating temperature of 125 °C, these β-Ga2O3 SBDs are projected to function reliably for almost a decade at an operating voltage of 1.46 V, assuming a 5% shift in Von as the failure criterion. This exceptional robustness, attributed to both the inherent material properties of β-Ga2O3 and the quality of the β-Ga2O3 Schottky interface, highlights the potential of β-Ga2O3 for long-term, high-performance applications in demanding power electronics.