Comparison Of Stability Of Wsix/Sic And Ni/Sic Schottky Rectifiers To High Dose Gamma-Ray Irradiation

SiC Schottky rectifiers with moderate breakdown voltages of similar to450 V and with either WSiX or Ni rectifying contacts were irradiated with Co-60 gamma-rays to doses up to similar to315 Mrad. The Ni/SiC rectifiers show severe reaction of the contact after irradiation at the highest dose, badly degrading the forward current characteristics and increasing the on-state resistance by up to a factor of 6 after irradiation. By sharp contrast, the WSiX/SiC devices show little deterioration of the contact with the same conditions and changes in on-state resistance of <20%. The WSiX contacts appear promising for applications requiring improved contact stability. (C) 2004 American Institute of Physics.