Review of Methodologies for Evaluating Short-Circuit Robustness and Reliability of SiC Power MOSFETs

To accelerate the broad application of silicon carbide (SiC) power MOSFETs, their short-circuit (SC) robustness and reliability must be thoroughly evaluated. This article, therefore, presents an overview of related research methods aiming to meet that objective. Topics reviewed include non-destructive tester (NDT) used to implement SC faults, extraction and analysis of degradation parameters, and failure analysis of SiC MOSFETs. Concerning NDT, its design criteria and methods for evaluating SC robustness are discussed. Then, the key parameters used to assess SC reliability and methods for investigating degradation mechanisms are discussed and summarized. Finally, failure analysis techniques and their contributions to failure mechanisms are reviewed.