Influence of Accumulated Radiation Effects on Single-event Burnout in SiC MOSFETs

The accumulated radiation effects of pre-irradiation from different radiation sources on single-event burnout (SEB) of silicon carbide metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (SiC MOSFETs) were investigated. The displacement damage (DD) was introduced by pre-irradiation of silicon ions, and compared with the devices without pre-irradiation, it was found that SEB is harder to occur in the devices with DD introduced after silicon ion irradiations. In contrast, for gamma ray pre-irradiation, it was found that SEB is much easier to occur in the radiated devices by gamma ray. In addition, TCAD is used to simulate the SEB of the devices, and the bulk defect increases the recombination rate of the devices and leads to the decrease of the current density. At the same voltage, the smaller the current density is, the lower the thermal effect will be, and SEB is hardly to occur. The drain current and lattice temperature of the devices with oxide charges are higher, and SEB is easier to occur. The simulation results are reasonably consistent with the experimental results. This study provides a valuable reference for the method of SEB hardening.