The Influence of 10 MeV Proton Irradiation on Silicon Carbide Power Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistor

The effects of 10 MeV proton irradiation on the threshold voltage and gate oxide reliability of SiC MOSFET are investigated. The negative shift of the threshold voltage was observed after irradiation, and the magnitude of the shift is exclusively related to the fluence and not the drain voltage. Moreover, proton irradiation leads up to the degeneration of oxide reliability. Experiment and simulation results indicate that the shift of the threshold voltage is caused by the total ionizing dose effect. Due to the superior blocking capabilities of the SiC MOSFET, the electric field of gate oxide is almost unaffected by the voltage applied to the drain, so the drift of threshold voltage is only related to particle fluence. The single event effect is responsible for the degradation of gate oxide reliability. The single event effect induces a transient high electric field in the gate oxide, which generates defects and affects the reliability of the gate oxide.