
342 Gallium Nitride (GaN): Physics, Devices, and Technology
bi-dimensional electrostatic simulations; (iii) calculation of the elastic energy den-
sity at every point in the AlGaN layer; and (iv) extrapolation of the critical voltage
based on the comparison between the results obtained in (iii) and the critical elastic
energy derived from studies on the epitaxial growth. The results of this analysis
are summarized in Figure 10.11b: the elastic energy density peaks close to the gate
edge (on the drain side), which is the region where the electric eld is maximum; in
their example, the elastic energy density increases from 0.31 J/m
2
(at zero bias ...