Single event burnout in SiC MOSFETs induced by nuclear reactions with high-energy oxygen ions

doi:10.1088/1674-1056/adcd45

Abstract We investigate the impact of high-energy O ions on the occurrence of single-event burnout (SEB) in silicon carbide (SiC) metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) under various bias conditions. Through a combination of SRIM, GEANT4, and TCAD simulations, we explore the role of secondary ions generated by nuclear reactions between high-energy O ions and SiC materials. These secondary ions, with significantly higher linear energy transfer (LET) values, contribute to electron-hole pair generation, leading to SEB. Our results show that the energy deposition and penetration depth of these secondary ions, especially those with high LET, are sufficient to induce catastrophic SEB in SiC MOSFETs. The study also highlights the critical influence of reverse bias voltage on SEB occurrence and provides insights into the failure mechanisms induced by nuclear reactions with high-energy O ions. This work offers valuable understanding for improving the radiation resistance of SiC-based power devices used in space and high-radiation environments, contributing to the design of more reliable electronics for future space missions.

Keywords: heavy ion silicon carbide metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (SiC MOSFET) nuclear reactions single-event burnout (SEB)

Received: 02 March 2025
Revised: 13 April 2025
Accepted manuscript online: 16 April 2025

PACS:	85.30.Tv	(Field effect devices)
	61.80.Jh	(Ion radiation effects)
	51.50.+v	(Electrical properties)
	84.30.Jc	(Power electronics; power supply circuits)

Fund: Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 12035019 and 62234013) and the National Key Research and Development Program of China (Grant Nos. 2023YFA1609000 and 2022YFB3604001).

Corresponding Authors: Jie Liu
E-mail: j.liu@impcas.ac.cn

Cite this article:

Shi-Wei Zhao(赵世伟), Bing Ye(叶兵), Yu-Zhu Liu(刘郁竹), Xiao-Yu Yan(闫晓宇), Pei-Pei Hu(胡培培), Teng Zhang(张腾), Peng-Fei Zhai(翟鹏飞), Jing-Lai Duan(段敬来), and Jie Liu(刘杰) Single event burnout in SiC MOSFETs induced by nuclear reactions with high-energy oxygen ions 2025 Chin. Phys. B 34 078501

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Single event burnout in SiC MOSFETs induced by nuclear reactions with high-energy oxygen ions

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