Heavy‐Ion Irradiation Response of Gallium Nitride High‐Electron‐Mobility Transistors with Reduced Surface Field Technology

In space, semiconductor technologies face significant reliability challenges due to cosmic radiation, necessitating novel materials for enhanced radiation resistance. Gallium nitride high‐electron‐mobility transistors (GaN HEMTs) offer improved low‐energy irradiation reliability over conventional semiconductors but struggle with single‐event burnout under high‐energy irradiation, leading to catastrophic failure, primarily due to the high electric fields in the drain region and charge injection effects that trigger breakdown. In this study, a GaN HEMT with reduced surface field technology was designed and fabricated on a semi‐insulating bulk substrate to investigate its high‐energy radiation response. After irradiation under 1713 MeV Au ions (linear energy transfer of 75 MeV cm 2 mg −1 in silicon), two failure mechanisms were identified: source–drain and gate–drain leakage. Additionally, single‐event leakage current was identified in a surviving GaN HEMT.