A comparison of ionizing radiation and high field stress effects in n-channel power vertical double-diffused metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors

n-channel power vertical double-diffused metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect-transistor (VDMOSFET) devices were subjected to a high electric field stress or to a x-ray radiation. The current-voltage and capacitance-voltage measurements show that the channel-side interface and the drain-side interface are affected differently in the case of high electric field stress, whereas the interfaces are nearly uniformly affected in the case of x-ray radiation. This paper also shows that for the gated diode structure of VDMOSFET, the direct-current current-voltage technique measures only the drain-side interface; the subthreshold current-voltage technique measures only the channel-side interface; and the capacitance-voltage technique measures both interfaces simultaneously and clearly distinguishes the two interfaces. The capacitance-voltage technique is suggested to be a good quantitative method to examine both interface regions by a single measurement. © 2005 American Institute of Physics. [DOI: 10.1063/1.1826213]