Pierre Brosselard

SiC Schottky Diodes for Harsh Environment Space Applications

This paper reports on the fabrication technology and packaging strategy for 300-V 5-A silicon carbide Schottky diodes with a wide temperature operation range capability (between -170 °C and 300 °C). These diodes have been designed for harsh environment space applications such as inner Solar System exploration probes. Different endurance tests have been performed to evaluate the diode behavior when working at a high temperature and under severe thermal cycling conditions (ranged from -170 °C to 270 °C). The radiation hardness capability has been also tested. It has been found that the hermeticity of the package in a neutral atmosphere is a key aspect to avoid an electrical parameter drift. Moreover, the use of gold metallization and gold wire bonds on the anode allows reducing the diode surface and bonding degradation when compared to Al-containing technology. On the back-side cathode contact, the Ti/Ni/Au metallization and AuGe combination have shown a very good behavior. As a result, the manufactured diodes demonstrated high stability for a continuous operation at 285 °C.

Field-effect mobility temperature modeling of 4H-SiC metal-oxide-semiconductor transistors

Here a physically based channel mobility model has been developed to investigate the temperature dependence of the field-effect mobility of 4H-SiC metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) transistors with thermally oxidized gate insulators. This model has been designed so that it accounts for the high density of traps at the MOS interface. This temperature dependence is a key issue for silicon carbide electronics, as its basic material properties make it the foremost semiconductor for high power/high temperature electronic devices in applications such as spacecraft, aircraft, automobile, and energy distribution. Our modeling suggests that the high density of charged acceptor interface traps, encountered in thermally grown gate oxides, modulates the channel mobility due to the Coulomb scattering of free carriers in the inversion layer. When the temperature increases, the field-effect mobility of these devices also increases, due to an increase in inversion charge and a reduction of the trapped charge. Experimental ...

Gate Oxide Degradation of SiC MOSFET in Switching Conditions

Under realistic switching conditions, SiC MOSFETs reliability issues remain as a challenge that requires further investigation. In this letter, a specific aging test has been developed to monitor and characterize the electrical parameters of the SiC MOSFET. This allows estimations of the health state and predictions of the remaining lifetime prior to its failure. The gate leakage current seems to be a relevant runaway parameter just before failure. This leakage indicates deterioration of the gate structure. This hypothesis has been validated through analysis of scanning electron microscopy pictures, with a focused ion beam cut showing cracks within the polysilicon.

GaN metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor inversion channel mobility modeling

Lateral n-channel enhancement-mode GaN metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) field-effect transistors and lateral capacitors have been fabricated on a p-type epi-GaN substrate semiconductor and electrically characterized at different temperatures. A clear positive behavior of the inversion channel mobility with temperature has been obtained. A physics-based model on the inversion charge and charge trapped in interface states characteristics has been used to investigate the temperature dependence of the inversion MOS channel mobility. The field-effect mobility increase with temperature is due to an increase in the inversion charge and a reduction in the trapped charge for a given voltage gate. Then, for larger gate bias and/or higher temperatures, surface roughness effects become relevant. The good fitting of the model with the experimental data leads us to consider that the high density of charged acceptor interface traps together with a large interface roughness modulates the channel mobility due to scattering...

Schottky versus bipolar 3.3 kV SiC diodes

A comparative study of the electrical characteristics of 3.3 kV SiC Schottky barrier (SBD), junction bipolar Schottky (JBS) and PiN diodes is presented. 3.3 kV class 4H-SiC SBD, JBS and PiN diodes have been fabricated with an analogous technology process on similar epi wafers. Diodes have been characterized in forward, reverse and switching mode in the 25 degrees C - 300 degrees C temperature range. The optimum performance of the diodes depends on the adequate use of the unipolar or bipolar advantages and is established by the final application specifications. In this respect, a reverse recovery charge versus on-resistance diagram for different current densities is also presented. DC stress tests have been performed to investigate the forward voltage drift, related to the formation of stacking faults, during the bipolar mode of operation.

Accelerated Life Test for SiC Schottky Blocking Diodes in High-Temperature Environment

This paper reports on the life tests of silicon carbide Schottky diodes with high-temperature operation capability (up to 270degC). These 300-V-3-A diodes have been designed to meet the BepiColombo requirements, a European Space Agency mission to Mercury. The life test consisted in a dc current stress of 5 A applied to these diodes at 270degC for 600 h or more. Different diode technologies have been tested and compared. On typical Ti or Ni Schottky diodes with thick aluminum metal layer, these reliability tests revealed degradation at both the Schottky interface and the diode top surface due to aluminum diffusion. The use of W as Schottky metal allows eliminating the forward voltage drift producing stable metal-semiconductor interface properties. The use of thick gold metallization allows reducing the surface and bonding degradation. The final diodes demonstrated high stability at 270degC.

Low loss, large area 4.5 kV 4H-SiC PIN diodes with reduced forward voltage drift

4H-SiC PIN diodes have been fabricated on a Norstel P+/N/N+ substrate with a combination of Mesa and JTE as edge termination. A breakdown voltage of 4.5 kV has been measured at 1 mu A for devices with an active area of 2.6 mm(2). The differential on-resistance at 15 A (600 A cm(-2)) was of only 1.7 m Omega cm(2) (25 degrees C) and 1.9 m Omega cm(2) at 300 degrees C. The reduced recovery charge was of 300 nC for a switched current of 15 A (500 V) at 300 degrees C. 20% of the diodes showed no degradation at all after 60 h of dc stress (25-225 degrees C). Other 30% of the diodes exhibit a reduced voltage shift below 1 V. For those diodes, the leakage current remains unaffected after the dc stress. Electroluminescence investigations reveal a very low density of stacking faults after the dc stress. The manufacturing yield evidences the efficiency of the substrate surface preparation and our technological process.

3.3 kV-10A 4H-SiC PiN Diodes

An innovative process has been developed by Linköping University to prepare the 4HSiC substrate surface before epitaxial growth. The processed PiN diodes have been characterized in forward and reverse mode at different temperature. The larger diodes (2.56 mm2) have a very low leakage current around 20 nA @ 500V for temperatures up to 300°C. A performant yield (68%) was obtained on these larger diodes have a breakdown voltage superior to 500V. Electroluminescence characteristics have been done on these devices and they show that there is no generation of Stacking Faults during the bipolar conduction.

1.2 kV Rectifiers Thermal Behaviour: comparison between Si PiN, 4H-SiC Schottky and JBS diodes

A comparison between electrical characteristics of 1.2 kV Si-PiN and 4H-SiC Schottky/JBS rectifiers is presented. The 4H-SiC rectifiers are characterised in the 25degC-300degC range while the Si-PiN is tested up to 200degC due to the Si temperature limitation 4H-SiC rectifiers exhibit superior temperature performances and their design can be adapted to a specific applications.

Very low specific contact resistance measurements made on a highly p-type doped 4H-SiC layer selectively grown by vapor-liquid-solid transport

This work reports on the performances of ohmic contacts fabricated on highly p-type doped 4H-SiC epitaxial layer selectively grown by vapor-liquid-solid transport. Due to the very high doping level ...