A non-relaxing method based on cyclic gate bias stress is used to probe the interface or near-interface traps in the SiO$_2$/4H-SiC system over the whole 4H-SiC band gap. The temperature dependent instability of the threshold voltage in lateral MOSFETs is investigated and two separated trapping mechanisms were found. One mechanism is nearly temperature independent and it is correlated to the presence of near interface oxide traps that are trapped via tunneling from the semiconductor. The second mechanism, having an activation energy of 0.1 eV, has been correlated to the presence of intrinsic defects at the SiO$_2$/4H-SiC interface.
The origin of dielectric breakdown was studied on 4H-SiC MOSFETs that failed after three months of high temperature reverse bias (HTRB) stress. A local inspection of the failed devices demonstrated the presence of a threading dislocation (TD) at the breakdown location. The nanoscale origin of the dielectric breakdown was highlighted with advanced high-spatial-resolution scanning probe microscopy (SPM) techniques. In particular, SPM revealed the conductive nature of the TD and a local increase of the minority carrier concentration close to the defect. Numerical simulations estimated a hole conc…
This paper aims to give a short overview on some relevant processing issues existing in SiC and GaN power devices technology. The main focus is put on the importance of the channel mobility in transistors, which is one of the keys to reduce RON and power dissipation. Specifically, in the case of the 4H-SiC planar MOSFETs the most common solutions and recent trends to improve the channel mobility are presented. In the case of GaN, the viable routes to achieve normally-off HEMTs operation are briefly introduced, giving emphasis to the case of the recessed hybrid MISHEMT.
In this work, the origin of the low free electron mobility in SiC MOSFETs is investigated using the scattering theory of two-dimensional electron gases. We first establish that neither phonon scattering nor Coulomb scattering can be the cause of the low observed mobility in SiC MOSFETs; we establish this fact by comparing the theoretically calculated mobility considering these effects with experimental observations. By considering the threshold voltages and the effective field dependence of the mobility in SiC MOSFETs, it is concluded that the scattering centers of the dominant mechanism are e…
In a hard switched MOSFET based converter, turn-on energy losses is predominant in the total switching loss. At higher junction temperature the turn-on energy loss further increases due to the reverse recovery effect of the complementary MOSFETs body diode in a half-bridge configuration. Estimation of the switching loss under different operating conditions at an early design stage is essential for optimising the thermal design. Analytical switching loss models available in literature are generally used for estimating the switching losses, due to its accuracy and simplicity. In this paper, the …
Impact of the NO annealing duration on the SiO2/4H-SiC interface properties in lateral MOSFETs: the energetic profile of the near-interface-oxide traps
Ulta-wide bandgap semiconductors based on $β$-Ga$_2$O$_3$ offer the potential to achieve higher power switching performance, efficiency, and lower manufacturing cost than today's wide bandgap power semiconductors. However, the most critical challenge to the commercialization of Ga$_2$O$_3$ electronics is overheating, which impacts the device's performance and reliability. We fabricated a Ga$_2$O$_3$/4H-SiC composite wafer using a fusion-bonding method. A low temperature ($\le$ 600 $^{\circ}$C) epitaxy and device processing approach based on low-temperature (LT) metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy…
In this work, the origin of the dielectric breakdown of 4H-SiC power MOSFETs was studied at the nanoscale, analyzing devices that failed after extremely long (three months) of high temperature reverse bias (HTRB) stress. A one-to-one correspondence between the location of the breakdown event and a threading dislocation propagating through the epitaxial layer was found. Scanning probe microscopy (SPM) revealed the conductive nature of the threading dislocation and a local modification of the minority carriers concentration. Basing on these results, the role of the threading dislocation on the f…
Inter-terminal capacitances (ITCs) have major influence on the dynamic performance of power SiC MOSFETs. Knowledge of the exact values for the ITCs is required in order to perform accurate and predictive compact model simulations of their dynamic performance. Since commercial SiC MOSFETs are capable of operating in a wide range of temperatures, it is important to know the values of ITCs in the whole temperature range of operation. Direct measurements of the ITCs with standard equipment is possible only at low current levels (i.e. in the off-state (Vgs < Vth) for Vds > 0 V), however their value…
Thermal transient measurement based on source-drain voltage is a standard method to characterize thermal properties of silicon semiconductors but is doubtful to be directly applied to silicon carbide (SiC) devices. To evaluate its feasibility and limitations, this paper conducts a comprehensive investigation into its accuracy, resolution, and stability towards yielding the structure information of SiC MOSFET using the source-drain voltage as the temperature sensitive electrical parameter. The whole characterization process involves two main procedures and associated key testing parameters, suc…
In this article, we investigate the Single Events Effects (SEE) leading to Single Event Burnout (SEB) in $β$-Ga$_2$O$_3$ MOSFETs. Using Silvaco TCAD, 2D simulations were performed to understand the mechanism behind the SEB mechanism in lateral Ga$_2$O$_3$ MOSFETS. The high electric fields in the channel played a critical role leading to high impact generation rates and eventual SEB. To reduce the electric field in the channel, radiation hardened designs are then proposed with rounded gates and the use of a combination of high permittivity (k) dielectric with SiO$_2$. With HfO$_2$-SiO$_2$ diele…
Renewable energy source such as photovoltaic (PV) cell generates power from the sun light by converting solar power to electrical power with no moving parts and less maintenance. A single photovoltaic cell produces voltage of low level. In order to boost up the voltage, a DC-DC boost converter is used. In order to use this DC-DC converter for high voltage and high frequency applications, Silicon Carbide (SiC) device is most preferred because of larger current carrying capability, higher voltage blocking capability, high operating temperature and less static and dynamic losses than the traditio…
Studying the electrical and structural properties of the interface of the gate oxide (SiO2) with silicon carbide (4H-SiC) is a fundamental topic, with important implications for understanding and optimizing the performances of metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFETs). In this paper, near interface oxide traps (NIOTs) in lateral 4H-SiC MOSFETs were investigated combining transient gate capacitance measurements (C-t) and state of the art scanning transmission electron microscopy in electron energy loss spectroscopy (STEM-EELS) with sub-nm resolution. The C-t measurements as a …
Time-Gated Optical Spectroscopy of Field-Effect Stimulated Recombination via Interfacial Point Defects in Fully-Processed Silicon Carbide Power MOSFETs
This paper reports on the physical and temperature-dependent electrical characterizations of the oxide/semiconductor interface in MOS capacitors with a SiO2 layer deposited on 4H-SiC using dichlorosilane and nitrogen-based vapor precursors. The capacitors, subjected to a standard post deposition annealing process in N2O, exhibited an interface state density Dit = 9.0 x 1011cm-2eV-1 below the conduction band edge. At room temperature, a barrier height (conduction band offset) of 2.8 eV was observed, along with the presence of negative charges in the insulator. The SiO2 insulating properties wer…
This work reports on the effect of high temperature annealing on the electrical properties of p-type implanted 4H-SiC. Ion implantations of Aluminium (Al) at different energies (30 - 200 keV) were carried out to achieve 300 nm thick acceptor box profiles with a concentration of about 1020 at/cm3. The implanted samples were annealed at high temperatures (1675-1825 °C). Morphological analyses of the annealed samples revealed only a slight increase of the surface roughness RMS up to 1775°C, while this increase becomes more significant at 1825°C (RMS=1.2nm). Room temperature Hall measurements resu…
In this work, the electrical properties of Al2O3 films deposited by reactive ion sputtering were investigated by means of morphological, chemical and electrical characterizations. This insulating layer suffers of an electron trapping that is mitigated after the rapid thermal annealing (RTA). The RTA improved also the permittivity (up to 6ε0), although the negative fixed charge remains in the order of 1012cm-2. However, the temperature dependent electrical investigation of the MOS capacitors demonstrates that the room temperature Fowler-Nordheim electron barrier height of 2.37 eV lies between t…
In this work, the hydrogenation mechanism of fired passivating contacts (FPC) based on c-Si/SiO$_{x}$/nc-SiC$_{x}$(p) stacks was investigated, by correlating the passivation and local re-distribution of hydrogen. Secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) depth profiling was used to assess the hydrogen (/deuterium) content. The SIMS profiles show that hydrogen almost completely effuses out of the SiC$_{x}$(p) during firing, but can be re-introduced by hydrogenation via forming gas anneal (FGA) or by release from a hydrogen containing layer such as SiN$_{x}$:H. A pile-up of H at the c-Si/SiO$_{x}$ …
Near-field radiative heat transfer (NFRHT) between dissimilar materials supporting surface polaritons in the infrared is of critical importance for applications such as photonic thermal rectification and near-field thermophotovoltaics. Here, we measure NFRHT between millimetersize surfaces made of 6H-SiC and doped Si, respectively supporting surface phonon-polaritons (SPhPs) and surface plasmon-polaritons (SPPs) in the infrared, separated by a 150-nm-thick vacuum gap spacing maintained via SiO2 nanopillars. For purpose of comparison, measurements are also performed between two doped Si surface…
