Thermal stability and secondary breakdown in planar power MOSFET's

The destructive secondary-breakdown mechanism of high-voltage n-channel power MOSFET's is discussed. A model is proposed in which the secondary breakdown is caused primarily by the negative-resistance effects of a parasitic bipolar transistor structure. The model suggests that destructive breakdown can be suppressed by a new no-surface-breakdown structure fabricated on a p
^-
on p
⁺
epitaxial wafer. Power MOSFET's having this structure have been realized and are completely free from secondary breakdowns, as suggested by the model. In addition, experimental evidence for excellent thermal stability of the power MOSFET is given by infrared scanner measurements of the temperature rise in the chip compared with bipolar transistors. An n-channel planar power MOSFET with a 400-W power limitation at 220-V breakdown voltage and a maximum current of 12 A has been successfully fabricated.