Gate Damages Induced in SiC Power MOSFETs During Heavy-Ion Irradiation—Part I

Experimental characterization of the damage induced to SiC power MOSFETs by heavy-ion irradiation is presented as a premise to a finite element simulation study aimed at gaining an insight into the physics of damage formation. Thanks to the new experimental setup, which is capable of accurately measuring the time evolution of the gate and drain leakage currents during irradiation, we herein demonstrate that the gate of a SiC power MOSFET is damaged by heavy-ion irradiation at biasing drain voltages lower than 100 V, which is less than 10% of the nominal blocking voltage of the tested devices. The evolution of the gate and drain leakage currents during irradiation is explained considering that localized resistive paths due to damage sites are formed across the gate oxide. The results presented herein indicate the strong sensitivity of SiC power MOSFETs to gate rupture even if the main concern in the literature addressed so far is the rupture of the drain structure due to single-event burnout.