Threshold-voltage bias-temperature instability in commercially-available SiC MOSFETs

This work reports on three important aspects of threshold-voltage instability in SiC power MOSFETs: (1) the threshold-voltage bias-temperature instability observed in commercial devices from two leading manufacturers, (2) a summary of the basic mechanisms driving this instability, and (3) the need for an improved test method for evaluating these devices. Even under significant overstress conditions, no negative threshold-voltage shift was observed in the most-recent-vintage commercial devices from one of the manufacturers during a −15 V, 175 °C negative-bias temperature stress lasting 120 h.