IGBT is a high-voltage high-power integrated circuit device and has a wide range of high-power switching applications such as mobile driving, power supply, railway transportation, industry control, etc.
The NPT-IGBT is a composite device of MOSFET and BJT. Since NPT-IGBT usually operates at high voltage and strong current, hot-carrier-induced degradation will be generated inside the device. Hot carriers with high energy will damage the oxide region of the device and the interface between silicon and silicon-dioxide, and will increase the trap charge of the interface and the oxide region.
Many researchers have described the issues on hot carriers of IGBT device, However, there have been reported a little literature that dealt with the reliability of hot carriers of NPT-IGBT.
Kim Hak Bong, a section head at the Institute of Semiconductor, analyzed the degradation mechanisms due to the hot carrier effect in NPT-IGBT through the voltage stress measurement, TCAD simulation and charge pumping measurement.
The results of the voltage stress measurement, TCAD simulation and the charge pumping measurement were consistent with the theoretical analysis.
For more information, you can refer to his paper “Analysis on Effect of Hot-Carrier-Induced Degradation of NPT-IGBT” in “Solid-State Electronics” (SCI).