Basic Mechanisms of Threshold-Voltage Instability and Implications for Reliability Testing of SiC MOSFETs

A review of the basic mechanisms affecting the stability of the threshold voltage in response to a bias-temperature stress is presented in terms of the charging and activation of near-interfacial oxide traps. An activation energy of approximately 1.1 eV was calculated based on new experimental results. Implications of these factors, including the recovery of some bias-temperature stress-activated defects, for improved device reliability testing are discussed.