IN-SITU STUDY OF THE DEGRADATION BEHAVIOR OF GAAS-MESFETS FOR HI-REL APPLICATIONS

In this paper, an accelerated ageing experiment on GaAs MESFET's is pr esented applying a novel in-situ technique on a reduced time scale. Th e ageing behaviour of several de parameters is monitored continuously while thermoelectrical stress is applied. As different ageing processe s leave distinct fingerprints in the degradation curves, the increased measurement resolution and data density, which are typical for in-sit u measurements, provide additional information compared with conventio nal ex-situ tests. The result of the numerical analysis of the experim ental data is presented, which provide an initial basis for comparison with conventional data and lifetime prediction. (C) 1997 Elsevier Sci ence Ltd.