Aging and failure mechanisms of {SiC} {Power} {MOSFETs} under repetitive short- circuit pulses of different duration

With relevance to their short-circuit (SC) failure mode, silicon carbide (SiC) power MOSFETs can be broadly grouped into two main categories: Fail-To-Open (FTO) and Fail-To-Short (FTS). The two different behaviors are exemplified: the former involves a short circuit between the gate and source terminals, which effectively shuts-down the device; the latter features current thermal runaway and collapse of the drain-source voltage, VDS. The specific failure signature is extremely relevant from an application perspective, with a clear preference for FTO type devices, since FTS has the twofold negative implication of discharging any energy storage components.