Proton Irradiation-Induced Displacement Damage in 650 V Si and SiC Power Diodes

A comparison of the displacement damage effects in Si and silicon carbide (4H-SiC) commercial diodes due to 6 MeV proton irradiation is presented. The devices chosen for this study are rated at 650 V/8 A, making them technological alternatives of each other. It is found that Si diodes degrade approximate to 4.6 times faster than the SiC counterparts under forward biasing. In addition, the leakage current for the SiC diode in reverse mode decreases due to proton irradiation, whereas it increases for the Si diode under the same conditions. The difference in the behavior of both the diodes, as a result of the irradiation process, is discussed in terms of the induced deep-level defects. The results show that SiC diodes are more resistant to displacement damage caused by proton irradiation than Si devices, with the same specifications. Proton irradiation tolerance of same rating 650 V commercial decapsulated Si and 4H-SiC diodes is presented. After radiation, SiC diodes (inset) show improved leakage currents in reverse mode and approximate to 4.6 times slower degradation than Si counterparts in forward mode, validating their potential for nuclear and space and applications.image (c) 2023 WILEY-VCH GmbH