Evaluation of Dynamic Avalanche Performance in 1.2-kV MOS-Bipolar Devices

It is well-known that the dynamic avalanche (DA) phenomenon poses fundamental limits on the power density, turn-off power loss, dV/dt controllability, and long-term reliability of MOS-bipolar devices. Therefore, overcoming this phenomenon is essential to improve the energy efficiency and ensure their safe operation. In this work, a detailed analysis of the 1.2-kV MOS-bipolar devices is undertaken through both calibrated TCAD simulations and experiments to show the fundamental cause of DA and the impact of the current density, supply voltage, and 3-D scaling rules on the DA performance. Furthermore, the DA performance of a 1.2-kV non-punch-through (NPT) trench clustered insulated gate bipolar transistor (TCIGBT) is evaluated for high current density and low power loss operations. The results indicate that this device configuration is free of DA and can be used for ultrahigh current density operation in an energy-efficient manner.