Current Gain Stability of SiC Junction Transistors Subjected to Long-Duration DC and Pulsed Current Stress

Abstract

The current gain stability of a second generation of 1200 V rated SiC Junction Transistors (SJTs) under long-term DC and pulsed current operation is investigated. A 1000-hour long, 200 A/cm2 DC current stress results in a ≈ 10% reduction of the current gain (β) during the early stages of the stress test, while the β is perfectly stable for the remainder (>90%) of the stress duration. The same amount of stress charge applied as a pulsed current in lieu of DC current results in similar extent of β degradation for the Gen-II SJTs. The pulsed current stressing is conducted at frequencies ranging from 50 kHz to 200 kHz, at a fixed duty cycle of 0.5.