Electrothermal modeling of SiC power devices is frequently performed to estimate the device temperature in operation, typically assuming a constant thermal conductivity and/or heat capacity of the SiC material. Whether and by how much the accuracy of the resulting device temperature prediction under these assumptions is compromised has not been investigated so far. Focusing on high temperature operating conditions as found under short circuit (SC), this paper presents a comprehensive analysis of thermal material properties determining the temperature distribution inside SiC power MOSFETs. Using a calibrated TCAD electrothermal model, it is demonstrated that the temperature prediction of SiC power devices under SC operation when neglecting either the top metallization or the temperature dependence of the heat capacity is inaccurate by as high as 25%. The presented analysis enables to optimize compact electro-thermal models in terms of accuracy and computational time, which can be used to assess the maximum temperature o fSiC power MOSFETs in both discrete packages and multichip power modules exposed to fast thermal transients. A 1-D thermal network of a SiC power MOSFET is proposed based on the thermal material properties, the size of the active area of the device, and its thickness.

Heavy-ion microbeams are employed for probing the radiation-sensitive regions in commercial silicon carbide (SiC) vertical double-diffused power (VD)-MOSFETs with micrometer accuracy. By scanning the beam spot over the die, a spatial periodicity was observed in the leakage current degradation, reflecting the striped structure of the power MOSFET investigated. Two different mechanisms were observed for degradation. At low drain bias (gate and source grounded), only the gate-oxide (at the JFET or neck region) is contributing in the ion-induced leakage current. For exposures at drain–source bias voltages higher than a specific threshold, additional higher drain leakage current is observed in the p-n junction region. This provides useful insights into the understanding of basic phenomena of single-event effects in SiC power devices.

High sensitivity of SiC power MOSFETs has been observed under heavy ion irradiation, leading to permanent increase of drain and gate leakage currents. Electrical post-irradiation analysis confirmed the degradation of the gate oxide and the blocking capability of the devices. At low drain bias, the leakage path forms between drain and gate, while at higher bias the heavy ion induced leakage path is mostly from drain to source. An electrical model is proposed to explain the current transport mechanism for heavy-ion degraded SiC power MOSFETs.

Significant progress has been achieved with silicon carbide (SiC) high power electronics and quantum technologies, both drawing upon the unique properties of this material. In this Perspective, we briefly review some of the main defect characterization techniques that have enabled breakthroughs in these fields. We consider how key data have been collected, interpreted, and used to enhance the application of SiC. Although these fields largely rely on separate techniques, they have similar aims for the material quality and we identify ways in which the electronics and quantum technology fields can further interact for mutual benefit.

This paper presents a comprehensive analysis of non-linear voltage-dependent capacitances of vertical SiC power MOSFETs with lateral channel, focusing specifically on fast switching transients. The capacitance-voltage (C-V) device characteristics, (Cgs, Cgd, Cds), being dependent on both Vgs and Vds, are extracted by means of two-dimensional Technology Computer Aided Design simulations for a commercially available device in both off- and on-state modes. Different compact models for the modelled power MOSFET are investigated, each employing a three inter-terminal capacitance model as typically used in power electronics. The performed analysis shows in detail the importance of taking into account the Cgd, Cgs and Cds voltage dependence on Vgs and Vds for fast switching transients (in the range of 10 ns) in order to accurately predict switching losses, driver losses, current and voltage slopes, as well as current and voltage delays. As direct measurements for C-Vs in dependence of both Vgs and Vds are highly demanding, the results presented in this paper increase the understanding of both the underlying effects as well as of the trade-offs between accuracy and computational complexity made by simplifying device models. This information is highly beneficial for enabling accurate and computationally efficient automated design procedures for power electronics.

Silicon carbide (SiC) power devices have the potential to operate at high temperatures beyond the capabilities of silicon power devices. At increased temperatures, the temperature-dependent material properties of the SiC die and the package multilayer structure can influence the electrothermal (ET) device performance. In this article, a new step-back-correction technique implemented in a finite-difference-method-based thermal modeling tool is proposed to reduce the computational cost while maintaining a good accuracy of ET simulations for multichip power modules. The simulations take the temperature dependence of the thermal conductivity $k(T)$ and both conduction and switching losses into account. The importance of considering $k(T)$ for the accurate temperature prediction of SiC power devices is demonstrated for thermal impedance evaluations characterized by high-temperature swings, as well as for a 100-kHz boost converter with low device temperature amplitudes in the steady state. The proposed ET modeling is validated by COMSOL simulations and infrared camera measurements on an example of a custom-designed and custom-manufactured half-bridge SiC power module.