Improved reverse current-voltage characteristics of a 4H-SiC PiN diode by bias-enhanced reduction of surface damage

• Published in: Journal of the Korean Physical Society Vol. 62; no. 9; pp. 1312 - 1316
• Main Authors: Kang, In-Ho, Bahng, Wook, Moon, Jeong-Hyun, Yun, Seung-Bok
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Seoul The Korean Physical Society 01-05-2013; 한국물리학회
• Subjects: Mathematical and Computational Physics; Particle and Nuclear Physics; Physics; Physics and Astronomy; Theoretical; 물리학; PiN; 4H-SiC; Bias stress
• ISSN: 0374-4884; 1976-8524
• DOI: 10.3938/jkps.62.1312

This paper introduces a phenomenon in which the leakage current of a 4H-SiC PiN diode was dramatically reduced without destruction during a bias stress. The reverse current-voltage characteristics of the 4H-SiC PiN diode were improved by using the bias-stress technique employing this phenomenon. Compared to a PiN diode bias-stressed for 10 s, a PiN diode bias-stressed for 600 s showed about a 2 order of magnitude lower leakage current and a 2.2 times higher breakdown voltage (1322 V for a PiN diode having an epi-layer thickness of 8 µm, which approaches 89% of the ideal value for a 1-dimensional (1-D) parallel plate structure).