Failure Mechanism and Layout Reinforcement for Enhancing Single-Event Tolerance in 4H-Silicon Carbide Inverters

The failure mechanism of 4H-Silicon Carbide (4H-SiC) inverters under heavy ions striking is investigated through experiments and simulations and reinforcement solution in layout is proposed. The most sensitive region to single-event burnout in 4H-SiC inverter has been identified by conducting pulsed laser simulations of heavy ions. Experimental results demonstrate that the maximum linear energy transfer (LET) value the 4H-SiC inverter circuit can withstand is below 92.25 MeV·cm2/mg. Sentaurus TCAD is utilized to reveal the failure mechanism: the heavy ions trigger the activation of parasitic transistors, leading to latch-up and burnout. By introducing a P-well layer, the single-event tolerance of the circuit can understand the LET≥100 MeV·cm2/mg.