Search results for "Semiconductor device"

Modeling and parameter identification of crystalline silicon photovoltaic devices

2011

This paper tests the standard single-exponential model of the electrical characteristics of crystalline-Si photovoltaic devices, focusing on the (apparent) shunt current. Measured characteristics of illuminated polycrystalline-Si photovoltaic modules are modeled, and the apparent shunt current is analyzed. It is shown that an Ohmic-like behavior only takes place at voltages well below the maximum-power point. At higher voltages, the apparent shunt current quickly drops to negligible values. Modeling a crystalline-Si PV device with a fixed shunt resistance may therefore lead to underestimation of the maximum power exceeding 10% at certain irradiance levels.

Resonance assisted jump-in voltage reduction for electrostatically actuated nanobeam-based gateless NEM switches.

2019

Electrostatically actuated nanobeam-based electromechanical switches have shown promise for versatile novel applications, such as low power devices. However, their widespread use is restricted due to poor reliability resulting from high jump-in voltages. This article reports a new method for lowering the jump-in voltage by inducing mechanical oscillations in the active element during the switching ON process, reducing the jump-in voltage by more than three times. Ge0.91Sn0.09 alloy and Bi2Se3 nanowire-based nanoelectromechanical switches were constructed in situ to demonstrate the operation principles and advantages of the proposed method.

Investigation of the Impact of Neutron Irradiation on SiC Power MOSFETs Lifetime by Reliability Tests

2021

High temperature reverse-bias (HTRB), High temperature gate-bias (HTGB) tests and electrical DC characterization were performed on planar-SiC power MOSFETs which survived to accelerated neutron irradiation tests carried out at ChipIr-ISIS (Didcot, UK) facility, with terrestrial neutrons. The neutron test campaigns on the SiC power MOSFETs (manufactered by ST) were conducted on the same wafer lot devices by STMicroelectronics and Airbus, with different neutron tester systems. HTGB and HTRB tests, which characterise gate-oxide integrity and junction robustness, show no difference between the non irradiated devices and those which survived to the neutron irradiation tests, with neutron fluence…

Incident angle effect on heavy ion induced reverse leakage current in SiC Schottky diodes

2016

Heavy-ion induced degradation in the reverse leakage current of SiC Schottky power diodes shows distinct dependence on the angle of incidence. TCAD simulations have been used to study the physical mechanisms involved.

A Test Circuit for GaN HEMTs Dynamic Ron Characterization in Power Electronics Applications

2019

Wide bandgap devices such as GaN HEMTs are a promising technology in the field of Power Electronics. Due to the physical properties of the Gallium nitride and the device design, they can outperform their Silicon counterparts for the design of highly efficient power switching converters. However, its design should face certain effects that can diminish its performance. One of such effect is the degradation mechanism known as dynamic onresistance (dynamic RON,), being its mitigation one of the main objectives in the design of the device. In this paper, a circuit is proposed for assessing if this effect is present in GaN transistors in power electronics applications. The circuit allows testing…

Improved Temperature Coefficient Modeling through the Recombination Parameter $\gamma$

2020

This study presents an injection dependent numerical model relating Shocldey-Read-Hall defect parameters in crystalline silicon with the recombination parameter $\gamma$ . We demonstrate how the model can be used to predict $\gamma$ for various single level defects. Additionally, we show that $\gamma$ can be significantly influenced by the injection level, in contrast to what is commonly assumed. The injection dependence is found to correlate with the temperature sensitivity of the Shocldey-Read-Hall lifetime. Finally, we demonstrate that the model can be used to predict the temperature coefficient of the open circuit voltage without the use of a temperature dependent measurement, enabling …

Power losses comparison between Silicon Carbide and Silicon devices for an isolated DC-DC converter

2021

In recent years, new efficient power devices have been implemented. Silicon Carbide has replaced silicon as regards the production and the utilization of many devices, such as MOSFETs, diodes, IGBTs and many others. SiC devices are characterized by a low reverse recovery charge, high carrier saturation velocity, by which it is possible to work at high frequency, and high breakdown voltage. Thanks to the great thermal conductivity and the wide bandgap, these devices can operate at high temperature and reach high voltages and currents. What is important to stress is the fact that power losses in SiC devices are lower than the silicon ones. These are the reasons why these devices are utilized …

2015

Electrically detected magnetic resonance (EDMR) is a commonly used technique for the study of spin-dependent transport processes in semiconductor materials and electro-optical devices. Here, we present the design and implementation of a compact setup to measure EDMR, which is based on a commercially available benchtop electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectrometer. The electrical detection part uses mostly off-the-shelf electrical components and is thus highly customizable. We present a characterization and calibration procedure for the instrument that allowed us to quantitatively reproduce results obtained on a silicon-based reference sample with a “large-scale” state-of-the-art instru…

On the use of front-end cascode rectifiers based on normally on SiC JFET and Si MOSFET

2014

The new wide band-gap semiconductor devices provide new properties to be explored. Normally on silicon carbide (SiC) JFET power devices have several advantages, in particular low switching losses and the potential capabilities of high temperature and high reverse blocking voltage. Looking for improving the overall efficiency in power converters, new structures based on these power devices might be studied. In this paper, a cascode rectifier based on normally on SiC JFET is presented and analyzed. This rectification structure can be applied as front-end rectifier stage for ac-dc power converters, increasing the overall efficiency of these topologies. A second cascode rectifier based on silic…

A Comparative Performance Study of a 1200 V Si and SiC MOSFET Intrinsic Diode on an Induction Heating Inverter

2014

This paper presents a comparison of the behavior of the intrinsic diode of silicon (Si) and silicon carbide (SiC) MOSFETs. The study was done for 1200 V Si and SiC MOSFETs. The data sheet from manufacturers shows the characteristics of MOSFET' intrinsic diode when gate source voltage (VGS) is 0 V. There are applications where the MOSFET' intrinsic diode is used while VGS is different than 0 V. One of these applications is induction heating, where depending on the load and the regulation system, the diode can conduct a significant part of the inverter current. In most applications which use the MOSFET' intrinsic diode, the turn ON of the intrinsic diode happens at VGS = 0 V. After a blanking…