Single Event Gate Rupture (SEGR) Simulations in Vertical Planar Power MOSFETs

Single-event Gate Rupture in Power Mosfets: a New Radiation Hardness Assurance Approach

Title of Document: SINGLE-EVENT GATE RUPTURE IN POWER MOSFETS: A NEW RADIATION HARDNESS ASSURANCE APPROACH Jean-Marie Lauenstein, Ph.D. Candidate, 2011 Directed By: Professor Neil Goldsman, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Almost every space mission uses vertical power metal-semiconductor-oxide field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) in its power-supply circuitry. These devices can ...

Testing Guideline for Single Event Gate Rupture (SEGR) of Power MOSFETs

Investigations into the Power MOSFET SEGR Phenomenon and Its Physical Mechanism

INTRODUCTION The state of understanding of the destructive SEGR event in power MOSFETS is relatively mature with large published efRorts, both experimental [1-5] and theoretical [6-8]. However, gaps remain in the understanding of the phenomenon, including unexplained experimental anomalies, empirical-only dependencies on some important device and incident ion physical parameters, and limited in...

Charge Generation Mechanisms in Low-Voltage Power MOSFETs during Radiation Exposure

The decision to use a commercial power MOSFET in a harsh radioactive environment[1], such as outer space, is subordinated to the capacity of the device to tolerate single event effects (SEE)[2] caused by single ionising particles. An incident ion may trigger charge generating mechanisms in the active volumes of the device that may give rise to a simple momentary malfunction or to a destructive ...

Power MOSFET Basics

Power MOSFETs (Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor) are the most commonly used power devices due to their low gate drive power, fast switching speed and superior paralleling capability. Most power MOSFETs feature a vertical structure with Source and Drain on opposite sides of the wafer in order to support higher current and voltage. Figure 1a and 1b show the basic device structure...