Correlation between carrier recombination lifetime and forward voltage drop in 4H-SiC PiN diodes

摘要

Correlation between carrier lifetime and forward voltage drop in 4H-SiC PiN diodes has been investigated. PiN diodes from the drift layer of 20 μm shows breakdown voltage of 3.3 kV and forward voltage drop as low as 3.13 V at 100A/cm~2. Variation of calculated forward voltage drop (V_F) from measured carrier lifetimes is very comparable to measured V_F of fully processed PiN diodes. Measured carrier lifetime and V_F of PiN diodes also show good spatial correlation. Wafer level lifetime mapping can be employed to assess and predict V_F of PiN diodes.