Radiation resistance of wide-bandgap semiconductor power transistors

Hazdra, P.; Popelka, Stanislav

doi:10.1002/pssa.201600447

Cited by 34 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…This is connected with two effects. First, the threshold voltage V TH increases probably due to the embedding of the negative charge at deep electron traps localised near the interface between the oxide and SiC [50]. This negative charge trapped near the interface eventually overcomes the positive trapped charge in the oxide and causes the turnaround of the course of the dependence of the threshold voltage on the irradiation dose.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Displacement damage and total ionisation dose effects on 4H‐SiC power devices

Hazdra

Popelka

2019

IET Power Electronics

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A comprehensive study of displacement damage and total ionisation dose effects on 4H-silicon carbide power devices is presented. Power diodes and transistors produced by different manufacturers were irradiated by high-energy particles (protons, alphas, electrons and neutrons). The influence of radiation on device characteristics was determined, the introduced radiation defects were identified, and the main degradation mechanisms were established. Results show that radiation leads to the creation of acceptor traps in the lightly doped drift regions of irradiated devices. Devices then degrade due to the removal of the carriers and the decrease in carrier mobility and lifetime. For unipolar devices, the gradual increase of the forward voltage is typical while the blocking characteristics remain nearly unchanged. In bipolar devices, high introduction rates of defects cause a sharp reduction of carrier lifetime. This results in shorter carrier diffusion lengths and subsequent loss of conductivity modulation leading to a sharp increase of the forward voltage drop. The irradiation also shifts the threshold voltage of power switches. That is critical, namely for metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors. According to the authors' study, the junction barrier Schottky diode and junction field-effect transistor (JFET) can be considered the most radiation-resistant SiC power devices.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Displacement damage and total ionisation dose effects on 4H‐SiC power devices

Hazdra

Popelka

2019

IET Power Electronics

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“…32 Wide bandgap semiconductors like GaN (bandgap 3.4 eV) and SiC (bandgap 2.3-3.3 eV) are more convenient options for creating a betavoltaic micro battery compared with Si (bandgap 1.12 eV). 33 In addition, GaN has a high radiation threshold energy and exhibits very high radiation resistance. In an experiment to determine the radiation threshold energy of GaN, material is irradiated by electrons with an energy range of 300 to 1400 keV at room temperature.…”

Section: Selection Of Semiconductormentioning

confidence: 99%

Investigation of nickel‐63 radioisotope‐powered GaN betavoltaic nuclear battery

Aydın¹,

Kam

2019

Int J Energy Res

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Summary This work describes the theoretical and experimental investigation of an in‐house produced 63Ni radioisotope‐powered GaN‐based direct conversion (betavoltaic) nuclear battery. GaN p‐n junction device with 1‐mm2 area was fabricated and irradiated by the 63Ni plate source. Short‐circuit current and open‐circuit voltage of the battery were measured, and current‐voltage curves were plotted. The energy stored in battery, maximum power, and efficiency parameters were calculated. Monte Carlo modelling was used to investigate radioisotope's self‐absorption effect, the optimization of semiconductor and source thickness, transport, and penetration of beta particles in semiconductor junction. A large fraction of beta particle energy emitted from 63Ni source is absorbed within 1 μm of the semiconductor junction on the basis of the simulation results. Epitaxial growth of GaN was performed using metal‐organic chemical vapour deposition (MOCVD) system. Monte Carlo simulation with MCNPX was used to determine optimum 63Ni radioactive film thickness. 63Ni film was electroplated on one face of 1‐mm2 copper plate and mounted 1 mm over the semiconductor device. A 63Ni source with an apparent activity of 0.31 mCi produced 0.1 ± 0.001 nA short‐circuit current (Isc), 0.65 V ± 0.0022 open‐circuit voltage (Voc), and 0.016 nW ± 0.0002 maximum power (Pmax) in the semiconductor device. The filling factor (FF) of the betavoltaic cell was 25%, and the conversion efficiency (ɳ) was 0.05%. Finally, experimental results were compared with theoretical calculations.

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“…Actually, power electronics based on 4H-SiC single crystals has become a serious competitor for silicon-based components [12]. The outstanding feature of components made of silicon carbide is their high radiation resistance, which makes them suitable for the use in extreme conditions both on the Earth and in the outer space [13,14].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Corrosion of Ceramic Silicon Carbide in Hydrofluoric Acid

Brožek¹

2021

Ceramics - Silikaty

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Silicon carbide usable in mechanical or electrical engineering is produced in various purity grades and exhibits a large number of crystal structure variants. As for use in the chemical field, it is commonly stated that it is highly resistant in acid media but not suitable for use in alkaline media. This paper discusses the resistance of compact silicon carbide to hydrofluoric acid. The compact silicon carbide has been prepared by sintering using the SSiC method with or without binders based on scandium oxide Sc 2 O 3 and calcium fluoride CaF 2 . The purest silicon carbide sample of cubic 3C structure sintered without a binder was almost insoluble in hydrofluoric acid. It has been shown, however, that pure silicon carbide is perfectly insoluble in hydrofluoric acid irrespective of the structure variants detected in the samples (3C, 4H, 6H, 15R). The corrosion stability of the compact ceramics is affected by the residual SiO 2 content (together with other impurities) in imperfect SiC preparations, and it is influenced by the choice and chemical properties of the chosen ceramic binder as well.

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Radiation resistance of wide-bandgap semiconductor power transistors

Cited by 34 publications

References 22 publications

Displacement damage and total ionisation dose effects on 4H‐SiC power devices

Displacement damage and total ionisation dose effects on 4H‐SiC power devices

Investigation of nickel‐63 radioisotope‐powered GaN betavoltaic nuclear battery

Corrosion of Ceramic Silicon Carbide in Hydrofluoric Acid

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