High-stability 4H-SiC avalanche photodiodes for UV detection at high temperatures

In this work, high-stability 4H-SiC avalanche photodiodes (APDs) for ultraviolet (UV) detection at high temperatures are fabricated and investigated. With the temperature increasing from room temperature to 150 degrees C, a very small temperature coefficient of 7.4 mV/degrees C is achieved for the avalanche breakdown voltage of devices. For the first time, the stability of 4H-SiC APDs is verified based on an accelerated aging test with harsh stress conditions. Three different stress conditions are selected with the temperatures and reverse currents of 175 degrees C/100 mu A, 200 degrees C/100 mu A, and 200 degrees C/500 mu A, respectively. The results show that our 4H-SiC APD exhibits robust high-temperature performance and can even endure more than 120 hours at the harsh aging condition of 200 degrees C/500 mu A, which indicates that 4H-SiC APDs are very stable and reliable for applications at high temperatures.

Automated summary

High-stability 4H-SiC avalanche photodiodes (APDs) were fabricated and studied for UV detection at high temperatures. The avalanche breakdown voltage of the devices showed a very small temperature coefficient of 7.4 mV/°C as the temperature increased from room temperature to 150 °C. An accelerated aging test with harsh stress conditions confirmed the stability of 4H-SiC APDs, and the results indicated that the APDs exhibited robust high-temperature performance and could endure over 120 hours at 200 °C/500 μA, making them stable and reliable for high-temperature applications.