Conditions for burn-in of high power semiconductors

A method of assuring quality and reliability of a III-N device, the device including a package, a gate, a source, and a drain, the method comprising:

• for a first period of time, applying a first gate-source voltage below a threshold voltage of the device and applying a positive drain-source voltage;
• holding the package at a first temperature which is below a median operating temperature range of the device for the first period of time;
• and
• after holding the devices at the first temperature, testing electrical performance of one or more parameters of the device;
• and
• based on results obtained from the testing, rejecting the device if the performance is not within an acceptable range of one or more of the electrical performance-tested parameters.

A method of testing a wafer including a plurality of III-N electronic devices each comprising a source, a gate, and a drain, the method comprising:

• holding the wafer at a first temperature less than or equal to 30° C. for a first period of time while simultaneously applying to a plurality of the devices a first gate-source voltage lower than a threshold voltage of the device and a first drain-source voltage greater than 0.2 times a breakdown voltage of the device;
• holding the wafer at a second temperature greater than the first temperature for a second period of time while simultaneously applying to a plurality of the devices a second gate-source voltage lower than the threshold voltage of the device and a second drain-source voltage greater than 0.2 times the breakdown voltage of the device;
• after holding the wafer at the first and second temperatures, testing electrical performance of one or more parameters of each of the devices;
• and
• based on results obtained from the testing, rejecting at least one device on the wafer.

A system for testing a plurality of III-N devices, the system comprising:

• a testing chamber and a temperature controller;
• wherein
• the temperature controller is configured to hold the plurality of devices at a first temperature less than or equal to 30° C. for a first period of time;
• and
• during the first period of time, the testing chamber is configured to apply a first gate-source voltage lower than a threshold voltage of the device and a first drain-source voltage greater than 0.2 times a breakdown voltage of the device;
• and
• the temperature controller is configured to hold the plurality of devices at a second temperature greater than or equal to 30° C. for a second period of time;
• and
• the during the second period of time, the testing chamber is configured to apply a second gate-source voltage lower than the threshold voltage of the device and a second drain-source voltage greater than 0.2 times the breakdown voltage of the device;
• wherein
• the first period of time and the second period of time is greater than 1 hour.

A method of testing a plurality of III-N devices each comprising a source, a gate, and a drain, the method comprising:

• for each device, holding the device at a first temperature for a first period of time while applying a first gate-source voltage lower than a threshold voltage of the device and a first drain-source voltage greater than 0.2 times a breakdown voltage of the device;
• for each device, holding the device at a second temperature for a second period of time while applying a second gate-source voltage lower than the threshold voltage of the device and a second drain-source voltage greater than 0.2 times the breakdown voltage of the device, wherein the second temperature is smaller than the first temperature and smaller than 30° C.;
• after holding the devices at the first and second temperatures, testing electrical performance of one or more parameters of each of the devices;
• and
• based on results obtained from the testing, rejecting at least one device of the plurality of devices.