Advancing the reliability of wide bandgap semiconductors through in-situ transmission electron microscopy

Wide bandgap semiconductors (WBS), such as diamond, Ga2O3, GaN, and SiC, play a critical role in power electronics and radio frequency applications, but their performance can be compromised under extreme conditions. To improve the reliability of WBS devices, understanding their failure mechanisms is key.

While traditional testing methods fall short in capturing real-time degradation processes, in-situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM) is being used increasingly to provide such insight.

Lei et al. reviewed existing literature to better understand how in-situ TEM is transforming WBS research by enabling investigators to observe material behavior under electric, thermal, and mechanical stresses.

“The most important finding in this work is that the failure of WBS materials and devices is by no means caused by a single factor, and the possible causes of failure are varied,” author Yimin Lei said. “For example, when an electric field is applied to the device, the mechanical and thermal properties of the device will change at the same time, which may cause fracture of channel materials, melting of electrode materials, diffusion failure of electrode elements, and so on.”

Current research gaps, such as environmental distortions and limitations in simulating extreme conditions, need to be addressed to further improve real-world reliability predictions.

Going forward, Lei plans to analyze the failure mechanism of WBS devices by in situ TEM under multi-field coupling conditions. Additionally, the author aims to explore how in-situ TEM can be combined with AI image processing technology for automatic defect detection, with the goal of driving more precise modeling for device reliability improvement.

Industries including power electronics, 5G/6G communications, new energy, aerospace and defense stand to benefit greatly from these advancements.

Source: “Application and prospect of in-situ TEM in wide bandgap semiconductor materials and devices,” by Chao Chen, Tao Zhang, Yimin Lei, Jiatong Fan, Le Zhang, Ge Wang, Luyao Gao, Peixian Li, Qing Zhu, Xiaohua Ma, Yue Hao, Applied Physics Reviews (2025). The article can be accessed at https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0225128 .