Reliability considerations of III-nitride microelectronic devices

The success of III-nitride optoelectronic devices paths the way towards eme rging devices in microelectronics. These devices are currently at the thres hold to commercialization, therefore reliability considerations are becomin g increasingly important. This paper reviews the material and process techn ology of III-nitride microelectronic devices in the scope of reliability. S ince statistical reliability data are lacking in the current stale of resea rch the review starts with a summary of how reliability can be designed int o process modules being relevant for microelectronic devices. This includes a discussion of the most important issues of material growth, metallizatio n, implantation, dry etching and surface passivation. The subsequent chapte r focuses to microelectronic devices and highlights technological challenge s that have to be met in order to obtain reliable devices. Finally, results of lifetime experiments (thermal aging) demonstrate that III-nitride devic es have the potential for reliable operation even at elevated temperatures up to 400 degrees C, (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.