Abstract
High-power switching applications, such as thyristor valves in a high-voltage direct current converter, can use 4H-SiC. The numerical simulation of the 4H-SiC devices requires specialized models and parameters. Here, we present a numerical simulation of the 4H-SiC thyristor on an N+ substrate gate current during the turn-on process. The base-emitter current of the PNP bipolar junction transistor (BJT) flow by adjusting the gate potential. This current eventually activated a regenerative action of the thyristor. The increase of the gate current from P+ anode to N+ gate also decreased the snapback voltage and forward voltage drop (Vf). When the doping concentration of the P-drift region increased, Vf decreased due to the reduced resistance of a low P-drift doping. An increase in the P buffer doping concentration increased Vf owing to enhanced recombination at the base of the NPN BJT. There is a tradeoff between the breakdown voltage and forward characteristics. The breakdown voltage is increased with a decrease in concentration, and an increase in drift layer thickness occurs due to the extended depletion region and reduced peak electric field.
Highlights
Power devices can be used to deliver power with varying voltage, current, and frequency [1,2].The on-resistance and leakage current of an ideal power device is zero, and the resistance of power semiconductor devices should be low when on and high when off
The snapback of the thyristor was defined as the anode voltage at which the resistance of the I–V characteristics changed from a positive value to a negative one
Lower gate voltage resulted in a forward-biased P+ anode/N+ gate junction at lower anode voltage
Summary
Power devices can be used to deliver power with varying voltage, current, and frequency [1,2]. The on-resistance and leakage current of an ideal power device is zero, and the resistance of power semiconductor devices should be low when on and high when off. Such devices must survive high voltages and inductive energy. The on-state resistance and off-state leakage currents mean that power devices consume electricity as heat and other forms of energy. A thyristor [3] is a power device that passes high currents with a lower on-resistance than metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors, bipolar junction transistors (BJTs), and insulated gate bipolar transistors.
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