Investigation of short-circuit failure mechanisms of SiC MOSFETs by varying DC bus voltage

In this study, the experimental evaluation and numerical analysis of short-circuit mechanisms of 1200 V SiC planar and trench MOSFETs were conducted at various DC bus voltages from 400 to 800 V. Investigation of the impact of DC bus voltage on short-circuit capability yielded results that are extremely useful for many existing power electronics applications. Three failure mechanisms were identified in this study: thermal runaway, MOS channel current following device turn-off, and rupture of the gate oxide layer (gate oxide layer damage). The SiC MOSFETs experienced lattice temperatures exceeding 1000 K during the short-circuit transient; as Si insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs) are not typically subject to such temperatures, the MOSFETs experienced distinct failure modes, and the mode experienced was significantly influenced by the DC bus voltage. In conclusion, suggestions regarding the SiC MOSFET design and operation methods that would enhance device robustness are proposed

Photoelectron yield spectroscopy and inverse photoemission spectroscopy evaluations of p-type amorphous silicon carbide films prepared using liquid materials

Phosphorus-doped amorphous silicon carbide films were prepared using a polymeric precursor solution. Unlike conventional polymeric precursors, this polymer requires neither catalysts nor oxidation for its synthesis and cross-linkage, providing semiconducting properties in the films. The valence and conduction states of resultant films were determined directly through the combination of inverse photoemission spectroscopy and photoelectron yield spectroscopy. The incorporated carbon widened energy gap and optical gap comparably in the films with lower carbon concentrations. In contrast, a large deviation between the energy gap and the optical gap was observed at higher carbon contents because of exponential widening of the band tail