The Effect of Neutrons on the Characteristics of the Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor (IGBT)

The effects of neutrons on the operating characteristics of Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors (IGBT) are described. Experimental results are presented for devices that have been irradiated up to a fluence of 1013 neutrons/cm2, and an analytical model is presented which explains the observed effects. It is found that the on-state voltage increases, the switching time decreases, and the saturation current decreases with increasing neutron fluence. For the range of fluences studied, the observed effects result from a reduction in minority carrier lifetime in the IGBT and not from changes in the effective dopant density. The effects of neutrons on the IGBT are compared with the known effects on power MOSFETs, and it is shown that the IGBT characteristics begin to degrade at a fluence that is an order of magnitude less than the fluence at which the power MOSFET begins to degrade.

[1]  J. R. Srour.  Stable-Damage Comparisons for Neutron-Irradiated Silicon , 1973 .

[2]  G. C. Messenger,et al.  Combined Neutron and Thermal Effects on Bipolar Transistor Gain , 1979, IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science.

[3]  S. Rattner.  Additional Power VMOS Radiation Effects Studies , 1980, IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science.

[4]  D. L. Blackburn,et al.  VDMOS Power Transistor Drain-Source Resistance Radiation Dependence , 1981, IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science.

[5]  W. Abare,et al.  Dose Rate Tolerant HEXFET Power Supply , 1981, IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science.

[6]  D. L. Blackburn,et al.  Ionizing Radiation Effects on Power MOSFETS during High Speed Switching , 1982, IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science.

[7]  A. A. Witteles,et al.  Radiation Effects on MOS Power Transistors , 1982, IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science.

[8]  S. Seehra,et al.  The Effect of Operating Conditions on the Radiation Resistance of VDMOS Power FETs , 1982, IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science.

[9]  A. Goodman,et al.  The COMFET—A new high conductance MOS-gated device , 1983, IEEE Electron Device Letters.

[10]  D. L. Blackburn,et al.  The Effect of Ionizing Radiation on the Breakdown Voltage of Power MOSFETS , 1983, IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science.

[11]  David M. Jobson-Scott.  An Investigation into Radiation Induced Second Breakdown in N Channel Power MOSFETs , 1984, IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science.

[12]  W.R. Van Dell,et al.  Insulated gate transistor modeling and optimization , 1984, 1984 International Electron Devices Meeting.

[13]  M.S. Adler,et al.  The insulated gate transistor: A new three-terminal MOS-controlled bipolar power device , 1984, IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices.

[14]  David M. Jobson-Scott,et al.  Neutron Irradiation as a Means of Reducing the Incidence of Radiation Induced Breakdown in a Radiation Hard Power MOSFET , 1985, IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science.

[15]  R.P. Love,et al.  Shorter turn-off times in insulated gate transistors by proton implantation , 1985, IEEE Electron Device Letters.

[16]  B. J. Baliga,et al.  Comparison of neutron and electron irradiation for controlling IGT switching speed , 1985, IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices.

[17]  A. Hefner,et al.  Performance trade-off for the Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor: Buffer layer versus base lifetime reduction , 1987, 1986 17th Annual IEEE Power Electronics Specialists Conference.

[18]  A. Hefner,et al.  A Performance Trade-Off for the Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor: Buffer Layer Versus Base Lifetime Reduction , 1986, IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics.