SiC Power MOSFETs: Designing for Reliability in Wide-Bandgap Semiconductors

The properties of wide bandgap semiconductors provide new capabilities and also challenges to the development of reliable and rugged power devices. Reliability characterization of fully-processed 1200V, 80 mOhm SiC power MOSFETs show gate oxide reliability projected life> 100 years at a gate voltage of V Gs =+25V and T=175°C. These 1200V, 80 mOhm SiC power MOSFETs deliver single-shot unclamped inductive switching avalanche energy greater than 1 Joule and <10 ^% parametric shifts after 100,000 repetitive 250 mJ avalanche events. These results suggest that SiC power MOSFETs are suitably reliable and rugged for commercial and industrial applications.