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Isolation of Cumulative Heavy-Ion Induced Trench Degradation Effects within a Commercial 4H-SiC Double Trench MOSFET
Abstract:
Cumulative heavy-ion irradiation effects were investigated in a commercial 4H-SiC double trench MOSFET through a combination of cyclotron experiments and TCAD simulations. Devices were exposed to continuous 124Xe³⁵⁺ ion strikes at a linear energy transfer (LET) of 63 MeV·cm²/mg under drain biases from 100 to 400 V. Experimental results revealed the onset of permanent drain and gate leakage at voltages as low as 200 V, with degradation rates increasing by several orders of magnitude at higher bias. Post-irradiation measurements confirmed trench oxide rupture and source leakage path formation, establishing single-event leakage current (SELC) as the dominant degradation mechanism. In contrast, TCAD simulations of isolated ion strikes predicted catastrophic single-event burnout (SEB) only at or above 250–300 V, highlighting the critical role of cumulative damage processes that are not captured in single-strike models. These findings demonstrate that permanent leakage-driven degradation effectively extends the SELC zone beyond conventional SEB thresholds, reducing the safe operating area of trench-based SiC MOSFETs. The results have significant implications for derating strategies in space applications, where current SEB-focused guidelines may underestimate vulnerability, and highlight the need for radiation-hardening by device design to ensure long-term reliability.
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71-77
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May 2026
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