Review of Gallium Nitride Devices and Integrated Circuits at High Temperatures

In various industrial applications, including aviation, electric vehicles, and drilling, the demand for semiconductor devices and associated circuits with high thermal stability is progressively increasing. Wide-bandgap semiconductor Gallium Nitride (GaN) devices exhibit the advantages of fast switching capability, low on-resistance, and the ability to operate at high temperatures. These advantages have made them potential candidates for integrated circuits in high-temperature environments in recent years. Lateral GaN devices promote monolithic integration, which consequently increases power density and reduces cost of
cooling systems. Hence, it is worthwhile to investigate the performance of GaN devices in high-temperature environments. This review aims to present a thorough review of high-temperature characteristics of GaN devices and integrated circuits. The performance of GaN devices at high temperatures, such as threshold voltage, saturation current and on-resistance, has been reviewed in response to different structures. The underlying degradation mechanisms related to the intrinsic properties of structures and fabrication technology are discussed at high temperatures. The thermal performance of GaN small signal integrated circuits and power converters was presented. This paper systematically examines the advantages and challenges of GaN devices and integrated circuits at high temperature environments.