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Investigation Of Microplasma Breakdown In 4H Silicon Carbide

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 February 2011

Uwe Zimmermann ,
Anders Hallén ,
Andrey O. Konstantinov  and
Bo Breitholtz
Uwe Zimmermann
Affiliation:
Royal Institute of Technology, Electrum 229, 16440 Kista, Sweden
Anders Hallén
Affiliation:
Royal Institute of Technology, Electrum 229, 16440 Kista, Sweden
Andrey O. Konstantinov
Affiliation:
Industrial Microelectronics Center, Electrum 233, 16440 Kista, Sweden
Bo Breitholtz
Affiliation:
Royal Institute of Technology, Electrum 229, 16440 Kista, Sweden
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Abstract

Reverse bias breakdown behaviour of high quality 4H silicon carbide p-n diodes was investigated, using optical and electrical measurement techniques. Most of the sample diodes suffered from early breakdown phenomena in the form of microplasmas at about 80% of the calculated parallel plane breakdown voltage for the diodes, as evident from measured I-V curves. A group of these microplasmas could be correlated to micropipes, identified by optical microscopy, while a large number of microplasmas were caused by other defects and inhomogenities in the space charge region under reverse bias. The same spots that revealed early breakdown phenomena under reverse bias also showed a different electroluminescence (EL) behaviour under low forward current densities compared to those areas with a homogeneous breakdown behaviour. However, even diodes containing one or more micropipes in the region of the junction showed good rectifying behaviour up to two third of the parallel plane breakdown voltage, where the turn-on of a microplasma was observed.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 512: Symposium F – Wide Bandgap Semiconductors for High Power, High Frequency , 1998 , 151
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1998

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References

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