First observations of power MOSFET burnout with high energy neutrons

This work analyzes the thermal and mechanical effects arising in a power Diffusion Metal Oxide Semiconductor (DMOS) during a Single Event Burnout (SEB) process. For studying these effects we propose a more detailed simulation structure than the previously used by other authors, solving the mathematical models by means of the Finite Element Method. We use a cylindrical heat generation region, with 5 W, 10 W, 50 W and 100 W for emulating the thermal phenomena occurring during SEB processes, avoiding the complexity of the mathematical treatment of the ion-semiconductor interaction.The simulation results show that dangerous temperatures are reached only in the substrate. By other way, the mechanical study allows observing that there are materials where the failure due to thermal-induced mechanical stresses is reached before the melting time. Additionally, the shear stress observed in the device can compromise its electrical behavior due to the propagation of dislocations present in the DMOS structure. In this way, this work establishes the importance of taking into consideration the mechanical effects that take place during SEB processes.

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“…It should be pointed out that SEBs can also be triggered by protons and neutrons, as it was reported in [15], [16].…”

Section: Previous Workmentioning

confidence: 81%

Thermomechanical Stresses Analysis of a Single Event Burnout Process

Tais

Romero

Demarco³

2009

IEEE Trans. Nucl. Sci.

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“…Failure due to terrestrial CR have been observed for all types of power devices, such as diodes and MOSFETs [5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13], IGBTs [14,15] and GTOs [16], with a wide range of operational voltages.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ensuring the reliability of power electronic devices with regard to terrestrial cosmic radiation

Soelkner

2016

Microelectronics Reliability

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“…Some of these neutrons reach the ground level and cause single-event effects (SEEs) in semiconductor devices, which crucially affect the reliability of electronic systems used in the terrestrial environment [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]. Among them, single-event burnout (SEB) is one of the most serious problems causing fatal damage on electric systems.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%