Experimental Study of Degradation in 4H-SiC BJTs by Means of Electrical Characterization and Electroluminescence

Abstract

SiC power bipolar junction transistors (BJTs), for high voltage applications, have been studied under elevated temperature and electrical stress conditions. Electroluminescence has been used to capture effects of defect motion and growth, in complete transistor structures, leading to a quantifiable degradation in the electrical performance. The observed degradation of current gain (β) and on-resistance (RON) was relatively modest and saturated after a limited stress time, resulting in stable device performance. The characteristic wavelength (450 nm) of the electroluminescence, or light emission, in the visual and near infrared (NIR) range, coupled to the shape of the defects indicates that basal plane dislocations and stacking faults are involved.