Surge Current Ruggedness in Vertical GaN-on-GaN PiN Diode: Role of Conductivity Modulation

In this work, we investigate the surge current ruggedness and role of the conductivity modulation in the vertical GaN-on-GaN PiN diode. With varying $t_{\text{surge}}$ (5 µs~10 ms) and [peak Up to 10 kA/cm ² , the evolvement of surge current capability of vertical GaN-on-GaN PiN diode has been systematically investigated. Owing to the desirable photon- and thermally-enhanced conductivity modulation in the direct-bandgap GaN, a high surge energy density of $282 J/cm^{2}$ has been realized in the vertical GaN-on-GaN PiN diode, showing great potential of vertical GaN-on-GaN PiN diodes for high power electronic applications.