Chapter 4. Basic Failure Modes and Mechanisms - NASA

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89Chapter 4. Basic Failure Modes and MechanismsS. KayaliFailures of electronic devices, in general, can be catastrophic or failures render the device totally nonfunctional, while noncatastrophicfailures result in an electrically operating device that shows parametric degradation andlimited Chapter provides a description of some of the more common Failure modesand Mechanisms affecting GaAs-based MMICs. The current understanding of the topicwill be presented along with a discussion of some possible solutions, practiced processimprovements, and Failure ModesGaAs devices exhibit some general Failure Modes that can be attributed to adefined Failure mechanism. The most common Failure Modes are observed viadegradation of the MMIC parameters such as IDSS, gain, POUT, and others. Thedegradation observed in MMIC devices is normally a function of the material interactionsand the environmental conditions during test or operation.

Mechanisms Possible Solutions Degradation in IDSS Life test, operation Gate sinking, surface effects, hydrogen effects Derating criteria, temperature control, environmental control Degradation in gate leakage current Life test, high-temperature storage test, high-temperature reverse bias Interdiffusion Temperature control, gate current control ...

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