Work

Channel and Body-Diode Conduction Characteristics in 4H-SiC MOSFETs Under Third-Quadrant Switching Conditions

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: The third-quadrant operation of silicon carbide (SiC) MOSFETs is investigated from the perspective of carrier transport, focusing on the interaction between two parallel conduction paths. Through experimental characterization and TCAD simulation, the conduction behavior of the PiN body diode and MOS channel under various gate-source bias conditions is examined. Results reveal that body-effect-induced threshold voltage (Vth) reduction enables channel conduction even under negative gate bias. Based on this mechanism, a transfer-characteristic-based method is developed to identify gate-voltage boundaries between conduction modes. The impact of negative gate bias on reverse recovery parameters, peak current (Irr), charge (Qrr), and time (trr), is quantitatively evaluated. At the unit-cell level, current sharing between the two paths is analyzed, clarifying the physical mechanism governing their redistribution.

Source: Micromachines

DOI: 10.3390/mi17050526

Authors: Xiaobing Huang, Yihui Song, Chiyu Zhong, Zhigang Wang

Institution: Southwest Jiaotong University

Language: English

Topic: Silicon Carbide Semiconductor Technologies

Subfield: Electrical and Electronic Engineering

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,534

Funder: National Natural Science Foundation of China