Tailoring the Charge Carrier Lifetime Distribution of 10 kV SiC PiN Diodes by Physical Simulations (original) (raw)

Localized Lifetime Control of 10 kV 4H-SiC PiN Diodes by MeV Proton Implantation

Materials Science Forum

In this paper, proton implantation with different combinations of MeV energies and doses from 2×109 to 1×1011 cm-2 is used to create defects in the drift region of 10 kV 4H-SiC PiN diodes to obtain a localized drop in the SRH lifetime. On-state and reverse recovery behaviors are measured to observe how MeV proton implantation influences these devices and values of reverse recovery charge Qrr are extracted. These measurements are carried out under different temperatures, showing that the reverse recovery behavior is sensitive to temperature due to the activation of incompletely ionized p-type acceptors. The results also show that increasing proton implantation energies and fluencies can have a strong effect on diodes and cause lower Qrr and switching losses, but also higher on-state voltage drop and forward conduction losses. The trade-off between static and dynamic performance is evaluated using Qrr and forward voltage drop. Higher fluencies, or energies, help to improve the turn-of...

Paradoxes" of carrier lifetime measurements in high-voltage SiC diodes

IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices, 2001

For Silicon Carbide (SiC) high-voltage rectifier diodes, contradictions appear when the most important parameter of the diodes, the minority carrier lifetime, is measured by different techniques. A qualitative analysis and a computer simulation have been carried out to clarify the origin of these contradictions. For 4H-SiC p + n diodes with 6-kV blocking capability, data on residual voltage drop at high current densities, switch-on time, reverse current recovery, and post-injection voltage decay are analyzed. It is shown that the whole set of experimental data can be explained by the existence of a thin ( 0 1 m) layer near the metallurgical boundary of the p + n junction with very small carrier lifetime that is essentially smaller than the carrier lifetime across the remaining part of the 50-m n-base. It is emphasized that the existence of such a layer allows, under certain conditions, the combination of a relatively low residual forward voltage drop and very fast reverse recovery. Approaches to minority carrier lifetime measurements are discussed.

Modelling the static on-state current voltage characteristics for a 10 kV 4H–SiC PiN diode

Materials Science in Semiconductor Processing, 2020

A 10 kV 4H-SiC epitaxial PiN diode is fabricated and the measured static on-state current voltage characteristics are used to tune the physical models and parameters included in TCAD device simulations. From the measurements it is found that the on-state voltage drop decreases more than 0.5 V at a current density of 100 A/cm 2 , as the temperature is raised from room temperature to 300 � C. The steep slope of the IV-curve is, furthermore, maintained at elevated temperatures in contrast to most silicon PiN structures, where the decrease in mobility at higher temperatures typically decreases the IV slope, resulting in an increased voltage drop. Physical device simulations, involving common models for bandgap, incomplete ionization, charge carrier lifetime and mobility, are systematically compared and optimized to obtain the best fit with measured data. The negative temperature dependence can be simulated with good precision although the fitting is very sensitive to the choice of mobility models and, in particular, the acceptor ionization energy.

Effect of proton irradiation on the properties of high-voltage integrated 4H-SiC Schottky diodes at operating temperatures

Semiconductors

The effect of proton irradiation (proton energy 15 MeV) on the parameters of high-voltage 4H-SiC integrated Schottky diodes (JBS) was studied for the first time in the operating temperature range Ti (23 and 175oC). The blocking voltage of the diodes under study, Ub, was 600 and 1700 V. For devices with U_b = 600 V, the fluence range was 5·1013-1·1014 cm-2; for devices with U_b=1700 V, the fluence range was 3·1013-6·1013 cm-2. An increase in the irradiation temperature leads to a noticeable decrease in the effect of irradiation on the current-voltage characteristics of the diodes. The effect of annealing on the current-voltage characteristics of irradiated devices is studied. Keywords: Silicon carbide, Schottky diodes, proton irradiation, current-voltage characteristics, annealing.

The Effects of Radiation Type on the Tolerance of High-Power 4H-SiC Diodes

Proton irradiation is used to probe the physics of 4H-SiC SBDs and nMOS capacitors for the first time. Both 4H-SiC SBD diodes and SiC MOS structures show excellent radiation tolerance under high-energy, high-dose proton exposure. Unlike for SiC JBS diodes, which show a strong increase in series resistance under proton irradiation, these SiC SBDs show very little forward I-V degradation after exposure to 63 MeV protons up to a fluence of 5x10 13 p/cm −2 . An improvement in reverse current after irradiation is also observed, which could be due to a proton annealing effect. The small but observable increase in blocking voltage for these SiC SBDs is attributed to a negative surface charge increase, consistent with earlier gamma results. Characterization of 4H-SiC nMOS capacitors shows that Q eff and D it changed a little after 7x10 12 p/cm −2 exposure, but relatively more after 5x10 13 p/cm −2 exposure. The resultant Q ef f change under proton irradiation was used to investigate the radiation induced changes to the blocking voltage in the SBD diodes, and showed good agreement with experimental data.

Heavy Ion Induced Degradation in SiC Schottky Diodes: Bias and Energy Deposition Dependence

IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science

Experimental results on ion-induced leakage current increase in 4H-SiC Schottky power diodes are presented. Monte Carlo and TCAD simulations show that degradation is due to the synergy between applied bias and ion energy deposition. This degradation is possibly related to thermal spot annealing at the metal semiconductor interface. This thermal annealing leads to an inhomogeneity of the Schottky barrier that could be responsible for the increase leakage current as a function of fluence.

Correlation between Leakage Current and Ion-Irradiation Induced Defects in 4H-SiC Schottky Diodes

Materials Science Forum, 2006

The defects formation in ion-irradiated 4H-SiC was investigated and correlated with the electrical properties of Schottky diodes. The diodes were irradiated with 1 MeV Si+-ions, at fluences ranging between 1×109cm-2 and 1.8×1013cm-2. After irradiation, the current-voltage characteristics of the diodes showed an increase of the leakage current with increasing ion fluence. The reverse I-V characteristics of the irradiated diodes monitored as a function of the temperature showed an Arrhenius dependence of the leakage, with an activation energy of 0.64 eV. Deep level transient spectroscopy (DLTS) allowed to demonstrate that the Z1/Z2 center of 4H-SiC is the dominant defect in the increase of the leakage current in the irradiated material.

Impact of Electron Irradiation on the ON-State Characteristics of a 4H–SiC JBS Diode

IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices, 2015

The ON-state characteristics of a 1.7-kV 4H-SiC junction barrier Schottky diode were studied after 4.5-MeV electron irradiation. Irradiation doses were chosen to cause a light, strong, and full doping compensation of an epitaxial layer. The diodes were characterized using Deep Level Transient Spectroscopy, C-V (T), and I-V measurements without postirradiation annealing. The calibration of model parameters of a device simulator, which reflects the unique defect structure caused by the electron irradiation, was verified up to 2000 kGy. The quantitative agreement between simulation and measurement requires: 1) the Shockley-Read-Hall model with at least two deep levels on the contrary to ion irradiation and 2) a new model for enhanced mobility degradation due to radiation defects. The diode performance at high electron fluences is shown to be limited by the doping compensation at the epitaxial layer.

Transient Analysis of an Extended Drift Region in a 6H-SiC Diode Formed by a Single Alpha Particle Strike and Its Contribution to the Increased Charge Collection

IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science, 2000

Charge collection of a 6H-SiC p + n diode has been studied. The collected charges of the diode are measured using a single alpha particle strike at various reverse bias voltages, then analyzed using both the low-injection charge collection model and the DESSIS device simulator. It is found that the total collected charges at lower bias voltages cannot be well understood based on the low-injection model. In distinct contrast, the device simulator successfully predicts the total collected charges at all voltages including the lower ones. The transient analysis of carrier and electric field distributions after the strike shows insignificant collapse of the original depletion region and time-dependent extension of the electric field beyond the original depletion region. A new physics is proposed to explain slower rearrangement of carriers, compared to Si devices, and formation of an extended drift region in the 6H-SiC diode based on the results of the transient analysis.