Hostname: page-component-76fb5796d-qxdb6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-26T11:48:52.937Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Pulse Performance and Reliability Analysis of a 1.0 cm2 4H-SiC GTO

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 February 2011

Heather O'Brien ,
Aderinto Ogunniyi ,
Qingchun Jon Zhang  and
Anant Agarwal
Heather O'Brien
Affiliation:
hobrien@arl.army.mil, US Army Research Lab, Adelphi, Maryland, United States
Aderinto Ogunniyi
Affiliation:
aderinto.ogunniyi@arl.army.mil, US Army Research Lab, Adelphi, Maryland, United States
Qingchun Jon Zhang
Affiliation:
jon_zhang@cree.com, Cree, Inc, Durham, North Carolina, United States
Anant Agarwal
Affiliation:
Anant_Agarwal@cree.com, Cree, Inc, Durham, North Carolina, United States
Get access

Abstract

A 1.0 cm2 silicon carbide Super-GTO was designed and fabricated for Army pulsed power applications. It is a milestone, being the first SiC Super-GTO of this size. The design is the culmination of several years of research into material improvement, termination and gate patterns, optimizing device size, and calibrating pulse performance. The SGTO's forward blocking voltage is 9.0 kV, and its on-state voltage is 2.9 V at turn-on. Six devices were evaluated for pulse capability in a high-energy RLC circuit that was designed to produce a 1-ms wide half-sine shaped pulse. The maximum safe operating current for each of the six Super-GTOs varied from 2.2 kA to 3.4 kA, with 13 V being the typical VAK at a current of 3.0 kA. Two of the GTOs were also tested for pulse reliability and repeatability. They were individually switched in the pulse circuit for >500 pulses at very low duty cycle. This study is base-level research on pulse capability of the newest generation of SiC Super-GTOs and as such strives to identify the defining characteristics of an optimal device as well as the predominant modes of device failure.

Keywords

semiconductingdeviceselectronic structure
Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 1246: Symposium B – Silicon Carbide 2010-Materials, Processing and Devices , 2010 , 1246-B08-03
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2010

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1 O'Brien, H., et al, “Wide-Pulse evaluation of 0.5 cm2 silicon carbide SGTO,” Proc. the 17th IEEE PPC, pp. 260–263, 2009.Google Scholar
2 Burke, T., et al, “Silicon carbide thyristors for electric guns,” IEEE Trans. Magn., vol. 33, no. 1, pp.432–437, Jan. 1997.Google Scholar
3 Agarwal, A., et al, “9 kV, 1 cm x 1 cm SiC Super GTO technology development for pulse power,” Proc. the 17th IEEE PPC, pp. 264–269, 2009.Google Scholar
4 O'Loughlin, M. J., et al, “Silicon carbide hot-wall epitaxy for large-area, high-voltage devices,” Proc. Materials Research Society Symposium, vol. 1069, paper #D04–01, 2008.Google Scholar
5 Ryu, S-H., et al, “Degradation of Majority Carrier Conductions and Blocking Capabilities in 4H-SiC High Voltage Devices Due to Basal Plane Dislocations,” Proc. MRS Spring 2008 Meeting, vol. 1069, paper 1069–D07, 2008.Google Scholar
6 Stahlbush, R. E., et al, “Basal plane dislocation reduction in 4H-SiC epitaxy by growth interruptions,” Applied Physics Letters, vol. 94 issue 4, pp. 041916–1, Jan. 2009.Google Scholar
7 Temple, V., “‘Super’ GTO's push the limits of thyristor physics,” Proc. of the 35th IEEE PESC, pp. 604–610, June 2004.Google Scholar
8 Lee, T. K. and Liang, Y. C., “Minimisation of Current Crowding During Turn-Off of Power GTO Devices,” Record of 25th IEEE PESC, pp. 442–449, 1994.Google Scholar
9 Neudeck, G., The Bipolar Junction Transistor, Modular Series on Solid State Devices, vol. III. 2nd ed. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley Publishing, 1989.Google Scholar
10 Geil, B. R., Bayne, S. B., Ibitayo, D., and Koebke, M. G., “Thermal and electrical evaluation of SiC GTOs for pulsed power applications,” IEEE Trans. Plasma Science, vol. 33, no. 4, pp. 1226–1234, Aug. 2005.Google Scholar