Understanding the impact of radiation on SiC devices for space
The first results have been reported on a collaboration between ETH Zürich and Australia's Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO), looking at the impact of radiation on SiC devices for space.The results are covered in two articles both in IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science .
Corinna Martinella (pictured above), formerly a senior scientist at ETH Zurich, said in a LinkedIn post that the research advances an understanding of the basic mechanisms of radiation damage in SiC power devices exposed to heavy ions.
One paper describes how commercial SiC power devices, including MOSFETs and Junction Barrier Schottky (JBS) diodes, respond to space-like radiation at a microscopic level. By using a highly focused beam of particles at the Centre for Accelerator Science, that either travel deep or stay near the surface, Martinella and her team studied how different kinds of radiation affect the devices.
They found that short-range particles could cause a type of damage called single event leakage current (SELC) in both older and newer versions of these devices.
Monte Carlo simulations performed at ANSTO helped explain how particle depth affects the damage. In particular, when particles strike certain areas of a diode, they increase the electric field and trigger a chain reaction of ionisation, which may lead to lasting defects.
Some parts of the devices, such as the source and the gate metal lines showed no signs of damage. However, there were differences in how the devices reacted depending on whether the particle beam hit directly on the source pad or off to the side. A protective polyimide layer reduced how deeply ions could penetrate in off-pad areas.
The second paper investigated the relation between single event effects (SEEs) caused by heavy-Ion Irradiation and defects in SiC devices. First author student Helton De Medeiros used heavy-ion irradiation with different linear energy transfers and ion penetration ranges to investigate the radiation tolerance of SiC power diodes.
Single event leakage current degradation was observed for ion ranges shorter than the top crystalline layer. Other techniques were applied to explain the root cause of the observed radiation effects.
References
C. Martinella et al., 'Heavy-Ion Microbeam Studies of Single-Event Leakage Current Induced by Long- and Short-Range Particles in SiC Power Devices'; IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science (2025)
H. Goncalves de Medeiros et al., 'Exploring the relation between SEEs caused by heavy-ion irradiation and defects in SiC devices'; in IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science (2025)
