The Influence of Special Environments on SiC MOSFETs

Abstract

In this work, the influences of special environments (hydrogen gas and high temperature, high humidity environments) on the performance of three types of SiC MOSFETs are investigated. The results reveal several noteworthy observations. Firstly, after 500 h in a hydrogen gas environment, all the SiC MOSFETs exhibited a negative drift in threshold voltage, accompanied by an increase in maximum transconductance and drain current (@ VGS/VDS = 13 V/3 V). This phenomenon can be attributed to that the hydrogen atoms can increase the positive fixed charges in the oxide and increase the electron mobility in the channel. In addition, high temperature did not intensify the impact of hydrogen on the devices and electron mobility. Instead, prolonged exposure to high temperatures may induce stress on the SiO2/SiC interface, leading to a decrease in electron mobility, subsequently reducing the transconductance and drain current (@ VGS/VDS = 13 V/3 V). The high temperature, high humidity environment can cause a certain negative drift in the devices’ threshold voltage. With the increasing duration of the experiment, the maximum transconductance and drain current (@ VGS/VDS = 18V (20 V)/3 V) gradually decreased. This may be because the presence of moisture can lead to corrosion of the devices’ metal contacts and interconnects, which can increase the devices’ resistance and lead to a decrease in the devices’ maximum transconductance and drain current.