Effects of Current Filaments on IGBT Avalanche Robustness: A Simulation Study

Abstract

With the increase in voltage level and current capacity of the insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT), the avalanche effect has become an important factor limiting the safe operating area (SOA) of the device. The hole injection into the p/n junction on the backside of the IGBT after avalanche is the main feature that distinguishes the avalanche effect from other devices. In this paper, the avalanche breakdown characteristics of IGBT and the nature of current filament are investigated using theoretical analysis and numerical simulation, and the underlying physical mechanism controlling the nature of current filaments is revealed. The results show that the hole injection on the backside of the IGBT leads to an additional negative differential resistance (NDR) branch on the avalanche breakdown curve. The device’s common-base current gain, αpnp, is a crucial factor in determining the current filament. As αpnp increases, the avalanche-induced current filament becomes stronger and slower, resulting in weaker avalanche robustness of the device.