Single-Event Effects in Heavy-Ion Irradiated 3kV SiC Charge-Balanced Power Devices

Experimental heavy-ion responses of 3 kV charge-balanced (CB) SiC power devices are compared to those of 3.3 kV planar SiC devices. The devices are similar, except the epitaxial region of the CB devices is heavily doped compared to the planar devices. The higher doping in the epitaxial region results in lower on-resistance, but typically leads to a lower threshold drain voltage at which single-event burnout occurs. The experimental results demonstrate, however, that the CB devices have a similar SEB threshold to the planar devices due to the improved electric field distribution.