Charge deposition analysis of heavy-ion-induced single-event burnout in low-voltage power VDMOSFET

The heavy-ion-induced single-event burnout (SEB) risk in power MOSFETs (metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors) can be assessed in ground facilities, although it is costly and time-demanding. For this reason, there have been few experimental studies dedicated to investigate the relevant parameter related to the description of ion-induced SEB phenomenon. In this work the heavy-ion-induced SEB in a low-voltage power VDMOSFET (vertical double-diffused MOSFET) is studied using several ion-energy combinations. A self-consistent statistical analysis is carried out in order to elucidate the relationship between charge deposition and SEB triggering. Experimental data is compared to a predictive model from the literature for SEE (single-event effect) worst-case prediction in power MOSFETs, supporting for the first time its relevance to the worst-case prediction in the SEB mechanism.