Proton radiation effects in 4H-SiC diodes and MOS capacitors

Abstract

Proton irradiation is used to probe the physics of 4H-silicon carbide (SiC) Schottky barrier diodes (SBDs) and negative channel metal oxide semiconductor (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 after proton irradiation, these SiC SBDs show very little forward bias -degradation after exposure to 63.3 MeV protons up to a fluence of 5 10 13 p/cm 2 . An improvement in reverse leakage 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. The resultant e change of 4H-SiC nMOS capacitors under proton irradiation was used to quantify the radiation induced changes to the blocking voltage in the SBD diodes in MEDICI simulations, and showed a good agreement with the experimental data. Characterization of these capacitors also suggests that 4H-SiC MOS structures are radiation hard.Index Terms-Negative channel metal oxide semiconductor (nMOS) capacitors, Schottky barrier diodes (SBDs).

Effect of proton irradiation on the sensitivity of CO2 sensors based on SnO2 and SnO–SnO2 heterojunctions

“…On the other hand, radiation is also applied to useful purposes such as controlling carrier lifetimes through electron irradiation. 18) In fact, degradation properties by proton irradiation has been investigated using various devices, including Cu(In,Ga)Se 2 (CIGS)- 19,20) , Cu 2 ZnSnS 4 (CZTS)- 21) , NiO 22) and GaAs 23) -based solar cells, InGaSnO (IGTO) 24) -based transistors, SiC 25) -based Schottky barrier diodes, and HfO 2 26) -based resistance change memories. However, limited attention has been paid to the effects of proton irradiation on the performance of resistive semiconductor-oxide-based CO 2 sensors.…”

Energy-Dependent Impact of Proton Irradiation on 4H-SiC Schottky Diodes

“…In addition to its large band gap, high thermal conductivity and high saturation velocity [1], 4H-SiC has a high tolerance to radiation and finds applications in harsh environments [2]. After proton irradiation, changes in the electrical behaviour of 4H-SiC are observed [3,4] along with the creation of point defects [5], some of which are viable candidates for future quantum technology applications [6]. On the other hand, changes in electrical parameters, due to point defects, may also lead to carrier trapping, increased leakage current, and reduction in minority carrier lifetimes.…”

X-Ray Irradiation on 4H-SiC MOS Capacitors Processed under Different Annealing Conditions

“…Studying the effects of ionizing radiations (neutron, proton, gamma, X,…) can provide also fundamental insights both on the charge injection/trapping phenomena and on the nature of the defects present in the device gate oxide [2]. Recently, the radiation-induced trapping phenomena have become object of investigation [6,7]. The ultimate aim of these studies is the basic understanding of the atomic structure and the pre-existing defects, which play a crucial role in the premature breakdown of the gate oxide.…”