Understanding the impact of extended crystalline defects on 4H-SiC power MOSFETs by multiscale correlative electrical, optical and thermal characterizations
Publication date: 1 Ago 2025
Extended defects in 4H-SiC epitaxy are currently the object of intensive studies, as they represent one of the limiting factor for the performances and reliability of 4H-SiC power devices. A multiscale correlative approach, based on the combination of device-level electrical measurements, micrometre resolution optical spectroscopies, and nanoscale resolution electrical (KPFM, sMIM) and thermal (SThM) scanning probe microscopies, has been applied to investigate the impact of prismatic stacking faults (“carrot-like”) on the electrical properties of 4H-SiC planar MOSFETs. The presence of a “carrot-like” defect in the device was found not to affect significantly the transistors electrical characteristics, whereas it showed an impact on the IDS-VDS characteristics of the body diode, resulting in an overcurrent at low forward bias and an increased series resistance at high current levels. The appearance of an extra peak in the …