Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Power semiconductor diodes'

The MOS-gated thyristors (MGT) refer to the class of power devices that combine the ease of a MOS gate control with the superior current carrying capability of a thyristor structure for high-power applications. The MOS-controlled thyristor (MCT) is a typical MGT device. A comprehensive investigation of the reverse-biased safe operating area (RBSOA) characteristics of the MCT has been undertaken. The electrical failure mechanisms of the MCT are discussed, and the relationship between the dynamic avalanche limited RBSOA boundary of the MCT and the lower open-base transistor is identified. An analytical model based on the dynamic current gain concept is proposed to characterize the open-base transistor. For the first time, a RBSOA characteristic equation is developed for the MCT and a unified view of the RBSOA characteristics of the MCT is presented. The fundamental characteristics of the MCT are compared to those of the insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) at two levels: unit-cell and multi-cell. The investigation of the unit-cell level focuses on the tradeoff between the on-state voltage drop, the turn-off loss, and the RBSOA characteristic. The investigation of the multi-cell level reveals the fundamental difference between the MCT and the IGBT in handling the non-uniform turn-off caused by the internal propagation gate delay of a large-area device. Lack of current saturation capability is identified as the main reason for the severe degradation of the turn-off capability of a large-area multi-cell MCT. The current saturation and controlled turn-on capabilities can be realized in the MGT devices with dual operation modes. For the first time, a dual operation mode MCT developed with superior current saturation capability is used to demonstrate how the dual operation device can be beneficial in the switching circuit application. The maximum controllable current density (Jmcc) is the most important characteristic of the dual operation mode MGT devices. A first-order analytic model is developed to characterize the Jmcc of the dual operation mode MGT structures compatible with the IGBT fabrication process. A new device structure with improved Jmcc characteristics is proposed and verified by both simulation and experimental results. The dissertation also carries out a comprehensive investigation of the development of power diodes. A new power diode, called the Trench Bipolar Junction Diode (TBJD), which has superior dynamic characteristics over the conventional P-i-N diode, is proposed. The TBJD controls the anode injection efficiency of the diode by the action of a reverse active transistor structure integrated into its anode junction. The reverse active transistor helps tailor an optimized on-state carrier profile to improve the diode switching characteristics. A novel self-aligned process is developed to fabricate the TBJD. Experimental characterization of the fabricated TBJD devices shows that the TBJD achieves superior dynamic characteristics without sacrificing the on-state voltage drop and the leakage current characteristics.
Ph. D.

The characterisation, emulation and by-emitter degradation analysis of two types of high power semiconductor laser diodes are presented in this thesis as part of an European Union (EU) project. An attempt is made using an accurate laser simulator called Speclase to learn more about the degradation of high power semiconductor laser diodes. Speclase being a single emitter simulation tool was transformed to model a bar i.e. multiple emitters, which we have named Barlase, through an external control interface written in Labview. The concept of Barlase was based on the fact that a bar is a monolithic block of multiple emitters connected in parallel with each other with a common voltage connected across them. This tool is capable of performing simulation in different modes of operation (i.e. constant current or constant power). The tool is designed to examine and emulate the degradation processes at both the laser bar and individual emitter levels of operation. It is known that, emitter degradation is faster for emitters within a bar than for identical single emitters due to a combination of packaging-induced strain and current competition between emitters amongst others. This tool shows clear evidence of the benefits of using by-emitter degradation analysis for gaining detailed understanding of individual emitters operating in a bar and for determining bar degradation mechanisms. The tool complement to the by-emitter analysis, allowing the effects of certain factors that affect the degradation of laser bars to be investigated. Various intervention measures were taken to improve upon the results of the emulation such as modifying the trap density through local heating and the use of the global thermal solver. The modification of the trap density allowed the acceptance of a spatially variable local trap density distribution that gave a more realistic and accurate simulation of the degradation behaviour. The introduction of the global thermal solver allowed the modelling of thermal cross-talk communication between the emitters, which brings about the frown shaped current/power profiles for the unaged bars (though not as pronounced as in the experiment). An attempt was made to employ this tool in the emulation of experimentally observed degradation behaviour in a 975 nm, 16 emitter infrared tapered laser bar with each group of 4 mini-array emitters. The laser bar was first calibrated to achieve a reasonable agreement between the experimental P-I curves of unaged emitters assuming identical emitters with the simulated P-I curves. The simulated P-I curve was then used to perform simulations to emulate the degradation of the laser. The simulated output power profile did not correspond well with the experimental power profile, but a good agreement was realised between the combined output powers of the bar. Better correlation was observed between the experimental and the simulated temperature profiles. This was expected since the experimental temperature was set as input for the heatsink temperature profile. This agreement therefore must not be over-emphasised. The bar emulation model was enhanced by including a global thermal solver to model the thermal crosstalk between emitters. Emulations using this model showed a clearly defined frown shaped profile in the output current and power profiles but the change was minimal. As the emulation of laser bar degradation has not been attempted before, this work is still at a very early stage. Therefore, further work is needed to achieve better agreement in the output current/power profiles and to better the model.

Gallium Nitride (GaN) is considered a very promising material for use in the field of power devices as its application in power systems would result in a significant increase in the power density, reduced power losses, and the potential to operate at high frequencies. The wide bandgap of the material allows a high critical electric field to be sustained which can lead to the design of devices with a shorter drift region, and therefore with lower on-state resistance, if compared to a silicon-based device with the same breakdown voltage. The use of an AlGaN/GaN heterostructure allows the formation of a two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) at the heterointerface where carriers can reach very high mobility values. These properties can lead to the production of High Electron Mobility Transistors (HEMTs) and Schottky barrier diodes with superior performance, even when compared to devices based on state-of-the-art technologies such as Silicon Carbide or superjunctions. Furthermore, epitaxial growth of GaN layers on silicon wafers allows a significant reduction in the production cost and makes these devices competitive from a price perspective. This thesis will deal with a variety of topics concerning the characterization, design and optimization of AlGaN/GaN HEMTs and Schottky diodes with a 600 to 650V rating. Discussion will span several topics from device cross-section physics to circuit implementation and will be based on both experimental results and advanced modelling. More specifically, the thesis is concerned with the characterization of AlGaN/GaN Schottky diodes and extraction of their main parameters such as ideality factor, barrier height and series resistance. A thorough investigation of their reverse recovery performance and a comparison to competing technologies is also given. Several topics which concern the operation of AlGaN/GaN HEMTs are then discussed. The underlying physics of p-gate enhancement mode transistors are analysed followed by a discussion of the challenges associated with the implementation of these devices at a circuit level. Finally, a comparison of the performance of a specific area-saving layout (Bonding pad over active area) and a conventional design is given. The thesis aims to significantly enhance the understanding of the behaviour of these devices to enable better or new commercial designs to emerge.

Interest in wide bandgap semiconductors such as silicon carbide (SiC), gallium nitride (GaN), gallium oxide (Ga 2 O 3 ) and diamond has increased due to their ability to deliver high power, high switching frequency and low loss electronic devices for power conversion applications. To meet these requirements, semiconductor material defects, introduced during growth and fabrication, must be minimized. Otherwise, theoretical limits of operation cannot be achieved. In this dissertation, the non-ideal current- voltage (IV) behavior of GaN-based Schottky diodes is discussed first. Here, a new model is developed to explain better the temperature dependent performance typically associated with a multi-Gaussian distribution of barrier heights at the metal-semiconductor interface [Section 3.1]. Application of this model gives researches a means of understanding not only the effective barrier distribution at the MS interface but also its voltage dependence. With this information, the consequence that material growth and device fabrication methods have on the electrical characteristics can be better understood. To show its applicability, the new model is applied to Ru/GaN Schottky diodes annealed at increasing temperature under normal laboratory air, revealing that the origin of excess reverse leakage current is attributed to the low-side inhomogeneous barrier distribution tail [Section 3.2]. Secondly, challenges encountered during MOCVD growth of low-doped GaN drift layers for high-voltage operation are discussed with focus given to ongoing research characterizing deep-level defect incorporation by deep level transient spectroscopy (DLTS) and deep level optical spectroscopy (DLOS) [Section 3.3 and 3.4]. It is shown that simply increasing TMGa so that high growth rates (>4 µm/hr) can be achieved will cause the free carrier concentration and the electron mobilities in grown drift layers to decrease. Upon examination of the deep-level defect concentrations, it is found that this is likely caused by an increase in 4 deep level defects states located at E C - 2.30, 2.70, 2.90 and 3.20 eV. Finally, samples where the ammonia molar flow rate is increased while ensuring growth rate is kept at 2 µm/hr, the concentrations of the deep levels located at 0.62, 2.60, and 2.82 eV below the conduction band can be effectively lowered. This accomplishment marks an exciting new means by which the intrinsic impurity concentration in MOCVD-grown GaN films can be reduced so that >20 kV capable devices could be achieved.
Doctor of Philosophy

Interest in wide bandgap semiconductors such as silicon carbide (SiC), gallium nitride (GaN), gallium oxide (Ga 2 O 3 ) and diamond has increased due to their ability to deliver high power, high switching frequency and low loss electronic devices for power conversion applications. To meet these requirements, semiconductor material defects, introduced during growth and fabrication, must be minimized. Otherwise, theoretical limits of operation cannot be achieved. In this dissertation, the non-ideal current- voltage (IV) behavior of GaN-based Schottky diodes is discussed first. Here, a new model is developed to explain better the temperature dependent performance typically associated with a multi-Gaussian distribution of barrier heights at the metal-semiconductor interface [Section 3.1]. Application of this model gives researches a means of understanding not only the effective barrier distribution at the MS interface but also its voltage dependence. With this information, the consequence that material growth and device fabrication methods have on the electrical characteristics can be better understood. To show its applicability, the new model is applied to Ru/GaN Schottky diodes annealed at increasing temperature under normal laboratory air, revealing that the origin of excess reverse leakage current is attributed to the low-side inhomogeneous barrier distribution tail [Section 3.2]. Secondly, challenges encountered during MOCVD growth of low-doped GaN drift layers for high-voltage operation are discussed with focus given to ongoing research characterizing deep-level defect incorporation by deep level transient spectroscopy (DLTS) and deep level optical spectroscopy (DLOS) [Section 3.3 and 3.4]. It is shown that simply increasing TMGa so that high growth rates (>4 µm/hr) can be achieved will cause the free carrier concentration and the electron mobilities in grown drift layers to decrease. Upon examination of the deep-level defect concentrations, it is found that this is likely caused by an increase in 4 deep level defects states located at E C - 2.30, 2.70, 2.90 and 3.20 eV. Finally, samples where the ammonia molar flow rate is increased while ensuring growth rate is kept at 2 µm/hr, the concentrations of the deep levels located at 0.62, 2.60, and 2.82 eV below the conduction band can be effectively lowered. This accomplishment marks an exciting new means by which the intrinsic impurity concentration in MOCVD-grown GaN films can be reduced so that >20 kV capable devices could be achieved.
Doctor of Philosophy

Halbleiterlaser stellen mit über 70% Wirkungsgrad einzigartig effiziente Lichtquellen dar. Dennoch ist ihre zuverlässige Nutzung, insbesondere im Bereich hoher Leistungsdichten, von thermischen Limitierungen geprägt. Einen grundlegenden Beitrag zu deren physikalischen Verständnis leistet die Analyse der thermischen Eigenschaften und Degradationsprozesse solcher Bauelemente. In dieser Arbeit wird hierzu die Thermographie als innovative Analysemethode untersucht. Das Plancksche Strahlungsgesetz erlaubt die radiometrische Ermittlung der Temperatur. Die wichtige physikalische Kenngröße Emissivität wird in dieser Arbeit für Halbleiter und Halbleiterlaserstrukturen spektral gemessen und auf fundamentale physikalische Eigenschaften zurückgeführt. Auf dieser Grundlage werden methodische Aspekte der Thermographie diskutiert, welche durch den thermischen Hintergrund und die teilweise Transparenz der Halbleitermaterialien geprägt sind. Die daraus folgenden analytischen Fähigkeiten erlauben unter anderem die orts- und zeitaufgelöste Bestimmung der thermischen Eigenschaften von komplexen Hochleistungslasern unterschiedlichster Bauart. Darüber hinaus ermöglicht die Kenntnis der beteiligten thermischen Zeitkonstanten die Extraktion von lokalen Überhöhungen in der Infrarotemission, deren Zusammenhang zur Degradation der Bauelemente untersucht wird. Eine grundsätzliche Begrenzung der Ausgangsleistung ist durch einen abrupten Degradationsprozess gegeben, welcher maßgeblich durch eine Reabsorption der Laserstrahlung an der Frontfacette verursacht wird. Mithilfe einer kombinierten Thermographie-Nahfeld-Messung wird dieser Prozess orts- und zeitaufgelöst analysiert. Die Erweiterung des Messfensters zu kürzeren Wellenlängen hin erlaubt die Detektion strahlender Übergänge unter Einbeziehung von Defektzentren welche als strahlende Signaturen von graduellen Degradationsprozessen aufzufassen sind.
Semiconductor lasers are unequaled efficient light sources, reaching efficiencies of more than 70%. Nevertheless, thermal limits govern their reliable application, in particular in the field of high power densities. The analysis of thermal properties and degradation processes in such devices contributes essentially to the understanding of these limits. This work exploits thermography as an innovative analytical technique for such purpose. Planck''s law allows for a radiometric detection of temperatures. In this work, the important physical parameter emissivity is measured spectrally resolved for both semiconductors and semiconductor laser structures and is related to fundamental physical properties. Based on that, methodological aspects are discussed, which are affected on the one hand by the omnipresent thermal radiation and on the other hand by the partial transparency of the semiconductor materials. The resulting analytical capacities allow, for instance, for the determination of the thermal properties of complex high-power lasers of a wide range of different designs in a spatio-temporally resolved fashion. Furthermore, does the knowledge of the involved thermal time constants allow for an extraction of localized peaks of the infrared emission that is analyzed for its relationship with device degradation. The output power of high-power devices is fundamentally limited by the catastrophic optical damage, an abrupt degradation process that is induced significantly by reabsorption of laser radiation at the front facet. This process is analyzed spatio-temporally resolved with help of a combined thermography and optical near-field technique. Extending the detection range down to shorter wavelengths allows for imaging of radiative transitions that are related to defect centers, which are interpreted as radiative signatures of gradual device degradation processes.

Dans les systèmes de hautes puissances pulsées, le stockage inductif présente un avantage indéniable vis-à-vis du stockage capacitif du fait de sa plus forte densité d’énergie. L’exploitation de cet avantage nécessite toutefois l'utilisation d'un interrupteur à ouverture pour générer l'impulsion de tension. En outre, compte tenu de la demande croissante de générateurs impulsionnels fiables, en particulier pour les applications industrielles, il devient indispensable de recourir aux composants semi-conducteurs. La diode SOS (Semiconductor Opening Switch), développée dans les années 1990 à l'Institute of Electrophysics en Russie, est un candidat idéal pour la commutation état solide à ouverture, de par sa capacité à générer des impulsions de haute puissance de manière fiable et répétitive, tout en offrant une longue durée de vie et un fonctionnement exempt de maintenance. Cependant, le manque de fabricants de diodes SOS limite leur utilisation à grande échelle. Par conséquent, cette thèse se concentre sur l’étude de diodes disponibles dans le commerce (OTS : Off-The-Shelf) capables de commuter rapidement des courants élevés et de générer des tensions nanosecondes pouvant atteindre 500 kV. Plusieurs types de diodes, incluant les diodes de redressement, à avalanche, à temps de récupération rapide et de suppression de tension transitoire (TVS) ont été étudiés en tant qu’interrupteurs à ouverture, en comparaison avec les diodes SOS de référence. Pour mener à bien cette étude, des bancs d’essai à basse, moyenne et haute énergie (respectivement 25 mJ, 10 J et 40 J) ont été mis au point. Afin d’augmenter leur efficacité énergétique, ces bancs utilisent un circuit basé sur un élément magnétique unique : un transformateur impulsionnel saturable. Plusieurs noyaux magnétiques nanocristallins ont été examinés sur le banc de 10 J dans le but d’optimiser les performances du transformateur. Parmi les diodes étudiées sur les bancs de 25 mJ et 10 J, les diodes TVS et les diodes de redressement ont émergé du lot, démontrant des performances de temps de commutation de l'ordre de la nanoseconde et de tensions générées de plusieurs kilovolts. Enfin, un prototype de générateur de hautes puissances pulsées de 40 J (GO-SSOS) basé sur un interrupteur OTS composé de diodes de redressement a été développé. Le rendement énergétique du système varie de 35% à 70% selon la valeur de la charge, et la puissance crête obtenue est supérieure à 300 MW. Sur une charge de 1 kΩ, l'impulsion de tension générée atteint une amplitude de 500 kV avec un temps de montée de 36 ns et une largeur à mi-hauteur de 80 ns. La reproductibilité des impulsions à une fréquence de répétition de 60 Hz est démontrée, ainsi qu’une application de génération de décharges couronnes. Les travaux prouvent la fiabilité des diodes OTS en mode SOS, ne révélant aucune dégradation après quelques milliers d'impulsions générées. Ils ouvrent également la voie à l’utilisation de cette technologie pour des applications industrielles telles que la stérilisation par faisceau d’électrons
In pulsed power systems, inductive energy storage has an advantage over capacitive storage because of its higher energy density. Exploiting this advantage requires the use of an opening switch to generate the voltage pulse. Moreover, the growing need for reliable pulsed power generators, particularly for industrial applications, strongly supports the adoption of solid-state solutions. The Semiconductor Opening Switch (SOS) diode developed in the 1990s at the Institute of Electrophysics in Russia is an ideal candidate for solid-state opening switching because of its ability to reliably generate high-power pulses at high repetition rates while offering long lifetime and maintenance-free operation. However, the lack of SOS diode manufacturers prevents their widespread use. This thesis is therefore devoted to the study of off-the-shelf (OTS) diodes capable of rapidly switching high currents and generating nanosecond voltages of up to 500 kV. The research includes the investigation of various diode types including rectifier, avalanche, fast recovery, and transient voltage suppression (TVS) diodes as opening switches in comparison with state-of-the-art SOS diodes. Low, medium, and high-energy (25 mJ, 10 J, and 40 J respectively) test benches are developed for the experiments. Their circuits use a single magnetic element – a saturable pulse transformer – resulting in high energy efficiency. Several nanocrystalline cores are examined for optimum transformer performance at an energy of 10 J. Among the diodes investigated at 25 mJ and 10 J energy, the TVS and rectifying diodes stand out particularly promising with nanosecond switching time and generated voltages in the kilovolt range. Finally, a 40 J pulsed power generator prototype (GO-SSOS) based on an OTS opening switch consisting of rectifier diodes is developed. The GO-SSOS achieves a peak power of more than 300 MW with an energy efficiency ranging from 35% to 70% depending on the load value. Across a 1 kΩ load, the voltage pulse generated reaches 500 kV amplitude with a rise time of 36 ns and a pulse width of 80 ns. The system shows high reproducibility at a repetition rate of 60 Hz and is used to demonstrate a corona discharge application. The work proves the reliability of the OTS diodes in SOS mode, revealing no degradation after thousands of pulses. It also offers the prospect of using this technology in industrial applications such as electron-beam sterilization

Els dispositius semiconductors de potència es requereixen per transmetre o rebre gairebé qualsevol tipus de senyal elèctrica i energia electromagnètica. En temps de constant augment del consum energètic i de la sensibilitat medi-ambiental, aquests petits dispositius poden dura a terme un gran paper. Un aspecte molt important és la elecció del material semiconductor. El carbur de silici (SiC) es un semiconductor de ample banda prohibida que té algunes de les propietats desitjades per a la reducció de pèrdues energètiques. Amb aquest material es poden fer servir regions conductores més fines sense disminuir el voltatge de ruptura gràcies al seu gran valor de camp elèctric de ruptura. Això es tradueix en caigudes de tensió en directe més petites, a més de permetre també una reducció en les pèrdues de commutació gracies a la petita quantitat de portadors que s´han de buidar després del blocatge en invers. A més a més, la amplia banda prohibida i la gran conductivitat tèrmica del SiC en comparació amb el silici permet al dispositius basats en SiC treballar amb densitats de corrent més altes i a més altes temperatures. El tamany i la complexitat del sistemes de potència es redueixen significativament amb components més petits i menors requeriments de sistemes de refredament.
Aquesta tesi investiga el disseny, la fabricació i la caracterització de diodes bipolars, Schottky i JBS (Junction Barrier Rectifier) en SiC. S´ha desenvolupat una seqüència de processament basada en la tecnologia de processat de silici disponible a la sala blanca del CNM. A mesura que es millora la tecnologia del material, el paper del disseny de dispositius de potència en SiC esdevé més important. Específicament, per poder extraure totes les capacitats del SiC respecte a la tensió de ruptura es requereix una terminació perifèrica adequada del dispositiu per tal de reduir el fenomen de field crowding que es produeix a la perifèria de la unió principal i que redueix significativament el voltatge de ruptura ideal del dispositiu. Així doncs, un dels objectius principals d´aquesta tesi és el disseny i desenvolupament de terminacions altament efectives per a diodes planars de SiC. Al capítol segon es presenta el disseny i optimització de diferents tècniques de terminació mitjançant l´ús de simuladors numèrics comercials calibrats específicament per al 4H-SiC. La major atenció es centra en la terminació denominada JTE (Junction Termination Extension), i en una nova terminació desenvolupada durant aquest treball de tesi denominada "Floating guard rings assisted JTE", amb la qual s´ha aconseguit una gran eficàcia.
La caracterització i l´anàlisi dels principals processos involucrats en la fabricació dels nostres dispositius es resumeix al capítol tercer, a on es detallen els processos de implantació iònica, recuit d´activació de les impureses i la formació dels contactes. Els resultats obtinguts es poden transferir directament a la fabricació de dispositius comercials de SiC. El capítol quart mostra la gran eficàcia que les nostres terminacions han demostrat en els diodes fabricats, especialment amb la nova estructura proposada. A més a més, també s´analitza el funcionament en invers dels diodes així com alguns aspectes tecnològics de segon ordre que habitualment no es tenen en compte però que nosaltres hem demostrat que poden ser de gran importància per al correcte funcionament dels dispositius. Finalment, el capítol cinquè dona a conèixer el funcionament en directe i a altes temperatures (fins a 300ºC) dels tres tipus de diodes fabricats: bipolars (PiN), Schottky i JBS.
Power semiconductor devices are required whenever sending, transmitting or receiving almost any type of electrical and electromagnetic energy or signal/information. In times of escalating power consumption and increasing environmental awareness, these small electronic devices can play a big role. Of large importance is naturally the choice of semiconductor material. Silicon carbide (SiC) is a wide bandgap material that has some of the desired properties to reduce these losses. Short drift regions can be utilized without reducing the blocking voltage thanks to the extremely high electric field strength. This instantly leads to a smaller on-state voltage drop, but also a reduction in switching losses of the device due to the decreased amount of charge carriers that must be swept away after blocking. Moreover, the wide bandgap and high thermal conductivity of SiC compared to silicon allow higher current densities and higher operating temperatures of the devices. The size and complexity of power systems are significantly reduced with smaller components and reduced need for cooling systems.
This thesis concerns the design, process integration, fabrication and evaluation of PiN, JBS and Schottky rectifiers in SiC. A process sequence has been developed based on the available silicon process technology in the CNM cleanroom environment.. As the material technology continues to improve, the role of SiC power device design is becoming more important. Specifically, to fully exploit the high reverse blocking capabilities of SiC, proper device edge termination is required to alleviate the device from the well known field crowding effect at the main junction edge that significantly decreases the theoretical one-dimensional breakdown voltage. Thus, one principal aim of this thesis is the design and development of high efficient edge terminations for high power planar SiC diodes. In Chapter 2, it will be presented the design and optimisation of various edge termination techniques using specific 4H-SiC calibrated numerical simulations. Main attention will be focused on junction termination extension techniques (JTE), and a novel edge termination structure namely "Floating guard rings assisted JTE" is presented with great blocking performances.
Characterisation and analysis of the main processes involved in the fabrication of our high power diodes are reported in Chapter 3, including ion implantation, activation annealing and contact formation. The obtained results are directly applicable and focus on important problems in the fabrication of SiC power devices. Chapter 4 demonstrates the high blocking efficiency on our fabricated diodes of our previously designed edge terminations, specially that of the novel developed structure, and an analysis of the breakdown behaviour will be reported. Moreover, we also analyse secondary order design parameters, which are not usually considered but clearly important as our results will shown. Finally, Chapter 5 covers the current-voltage performance at high temperature operation, up to 300ºC, of the three different power rectifiers fabricated: PiN, JBS and Schottky.

The high-voltage SiC power semiconductor devices have been developed in recent years. They cause an urgent in the need for the power semiconductor packaging to have not only low interconnect resistance, less noise, less parasitic oscillations, improved reliability, and better thermal management, but also High-Voltage (HV) blocking capability. The existing power semiconductor packaging technologies includes wire-bonding interconnect, press pack, flip-chip technology, metal posts interconnected parallel plates structure (MIPPS), dimple array interconnection (DAI), power overlay (POL) technology, and embedded power (EP) technology. None of them meets the requirements of low profile and high voltage rating. The objective of the work in this dissertation is to propose and design a high-voltage power semiconductor device packaging method with low electric field stress and low profile to meet the requirments of high-voltage blocking capability. The main contributions of the work presented in this dissertation are: 1. Understanding the electric field distribution in the package. The power semiconductor packaging is simulated by using Finite Element Analysis (FEA) software. The electric field distribution is known and the locations of high electric field concentration are identified. 2. Development of planar high-voltage power semiconductor device packaging method With the proposed structure in the dissertation, the electric field distribution of a planar device package is improved and the high electric field intensity is relieved. 3. Development of design guidelines for the propsed planar high-voltage device packaging method. The influence of the structure dimensions and the material properties is studied. An optimal design is identified. The design guideline is given. 4. Fabrication and experimental verification of the proposed high-voltage device packaging method A detailed fabrication procedure which follows the design guideline is presented. The fabricated modules are tested by using a high power curve tracer. Test results verify the proposed method. 5. Simplification of the structure model of the proposed device package The package structure model is simplified through the elimination of power semiconductor device internal structure model. The simplified model can be simulated by a non-power device simulator. The simulation results of the simplified model match the simulation results of the complete model very well.
Ph. D.

Les travaux présentés dans ce manuscrit sont axés sur le développement et la caractérisation de modules technologiques sur semiconducteurs à large bande interdite à base de nitrure de gallium (GaN), pour la réalisation de transistors et de cathodes froides. Ils ont été réalisés au sein du laboratoire III-V lab, commun aux entités : Alcatel - Thales - CEA Leti. Notre projet de recherche a bénéficié d'un soutien financier assuré par Thales Electron Devices (TED) et l'Agence Nationale de la Recherche ( ANR ). Concernant les transistors HEMT III-N, nos investigations se sont focalisées sur le développement des parties actives des transistors, incluant principalement la structuration des électrodes de grilles, l'étude de la passivation des grilles métalliques, ainsi que l'étude de diélectriques de grille pour la réalisation de structures MIS-HEMT.Les transistors MOS-HEMT « Normally-off » réalisés présentent des performances comparables à l'état de l'art, avec une densité de courant de drain maximum comprise entre 270 mA et 400 mA / mm, un ratio ION / IOFF > 1100, et des tensions de claquage > 200V. Les tensions de seuil sont comprises entre + 1,8 V et + 4 V. Nos contributions au développement des cathodes froides ont permis de démontrer une première émission dans le vide à partir de cathodes GaN, avec une densité de courant maximale de 300 µA / cm2 pour une tension de polarisation de 40 V
The results presented in this manuscript relate to technological developments and device processing on wide bandgap III-N semiconductor materials. They have been focused on III-N HEMT transistors and GaN cold cathodes. They have been realised within the III-V lab, which is a common entity between: Alcatel - Thales - CEA Leti. They have been financially supported by Thales Electron Devices company (TED) and the French National Research Agency ( ANR ). Regarding III-N HEMTs, our investigations have been focused on the development of device gate processing, which includes : the structuration of gate electrodes, the study of device passivation, and the realization of Metal-Insulator-Semiconductor High Mobility Electron Transistors ( MIS-HEMTs ). The “ Normally-off ” MOS-HEMT structures we have realized exhibit performances comparable to the state of the art, with a maximum drain current density between 270 and 400 mA / mm, a ION / IOFF ratio > 1.100, and a breakdown voltage > 200V. The threshold voltage values range between + 1,8 V and + 4V. We have also been able to demonstrate prototype GaN cold cathodes providing a maximum current density of 300 µA / cm2, emitted in vacuum for a bias voltage around 40 V

Thin dielectric passivation layer is one of the basic construction elements in semiconductor device technology. There are few materials, from which the layers may be manufactured. They are oxides mainly, with Si02 as the most popular of them, although, the phosphor- and boron-silicon glasses are used as passivation layers, too. In choosing a passivant of power thyristors and diodes, there are two important considerations in addition to the usual requirement for providing uniform high breakdown voltage via substrate. One consideration is the thermal stability of the passivant to subsequent high-temperature processes. The other consideration is the bias-temperature stability of the passivation layers affecting the operation life expectancy of a device. In the technology of thyristors and diodes on silicon substrates the bias-breakdown voltage is not uniform over substrate due to non-homogeneity of passivated surface of the p-n junction. In this work, passivation of moat surface by means of electrochemical etching, formation of hydrogen-rich porous silicon layers and glass in-melting steps has been investigated. Passivation quality was controlled by the measurements of surface recombination characteristics after each technological step using a non-invasive technique, which employed microwave probed photoconductivity transients (MW-PCT). It has been shown that electrochemical etching - glass melting steps involved in passivation technological procedures resulted in a decrease of... [to full text]
Puslaidininkinių prietaisų pramušimo įtampos valdymas formuojant griovelį periferiniame perimetre yra viena iš labiausiai paplitusių technologinių operacijų, gaminant galios diodus bei tiristorius Si pagrindu. Aukštavolčių didelės galios puslaidininkinių prietaisų, kurie dirba kelių tūkstančių amperų diapazone, o uždarymo įtampa iki kelių tūkstančių voltų, didelė problema elektrinio lauko pasiskirstymas ties kristalo briauna, kur p-n sandūra išeina į paviršių ir kur vyksta griūtinis krūvininkų skaičiaus didėjimas. Darbo stabilumui užtikrinti būtina pasyvuoti paviršių kristalo periferijoje, ant profiliuoto krašto. Šiame darbe išanalizuota galingų puslaidininkinių struktūrų konstrukcija, pagrindinės charakteristikos, parametrų tarpusavio ryšis, taip pat technologinis procesas ir jo ypatumai. Išanalizuotos technologinio gamybos maršruto silpniausios pozicijos. Nustatyta izoliacinių griovelių ėsdinimo charakteristikų priklausomybė nuo ėsdiklio sudėties, nuo ėsdinimo įrenginio struktūros ir nuo ėsdiklio temperatūros kitimo. Sukurta stiklo pasyvacijos difuzinės krosnies monitoringo sistema, kuri skirta aukštų temperaturų ir dujų srautų matavimui proceso metu. Rekombinacijų charakteristikų kitimo pagalba, matuojant be kontakte MW-PCT technika, įvertinama izoliacinių griovelių pasyvacijos kokybė. Technologiniame gamybos maršrute, po izoliacinio griovelio ėsdinimo operacijos, prieš stiklo pasyvaciją sudarinėjamas porėtojo silicio sluoksnis, taip pat siūloma įvesti homogeniškumo... [toliau žr. visą tekstą]

The entire thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file; a non-technical public abstract appears in the public.pdf file. Title from PDF of title page (University of Missouri--Columbia, viewed on October 6, 2009). Thesis advisor: Dr. Naz E. Islam. Includes bibliographical references.

Les composants actifs en électronique de puissance sont principalement à base de Silicium. Or, le silicium a des limites en termes de température d'utilisation, fréquence de commutation et de tenue en tension. Une alternative au Si peut être les semi-conducteurs à grand gap tels que le SiC-4H. Grâce aux travaux de plusieurs équipes de chercheurs dans le monde, les performances s'améliorent d'année en année. Le laboratoire AMPERE conçoit, réalise et caractérise des composants de puissance en SiC-4 H. Cette thèse s'inscrit dans les projets SiCHT2 et VHVD du laboratoire. Le travail réalisé au cours de cette thèse repose sur la conception la fabrication et la caractérisation électrique de composantes haute tension en SiC-4H. Les paramètres de protection pour la diode bipolaire 6500V sont optimisés à l'aide des simulations à base d'éléments finis. Les paramètres du SiC pour les modèles utilisés pour la simulation sont développés par des travaux précédents. Ensuite, le masque est dessiné. La diode est réalisée chez IBS. La première caractérisation est effectuée avant le recuit post-métallisation en directe et inverse sans passivation finale. Après le recuit post-métallisation la résistance de contact est plus faible. La caractérisation de la tenue en tension a été effectuée à AMPERE puis à l'ISL à très haute tension. A l'aide de simulations à base d'éléments finis, les paramètres tels que la résistance de contact et la durée de vie des porteurs ont été affinés à partir des caractérisations électriques obtenues par l'expérience. Les autres travaux portent sur la conception, les optimisations et les fabrications des diodes 10 kV et transistors 6500 V.

Les matériaux semi-conducteurs à grand gap tels que le carbure de silicium (SiC) et le nitrure de gallium (GaN) sont utilisés pour fabriquer des composants semi-conducteurs de puissance, qui vont jouer un rôle très important dans le développement des futurs systèmes de conversion d'énergie. L'objectif est de réaliser des convertisseurs avec de meilleurs rendements énergétiques et fonctionnant à haute température. Pour atteindre cet objectif, il est donc nécessaire de bien connaître les caractéristiques de ces nouveaux composants afin de développer des modèles qui seront utilisés lors de la conception des convertisseurs. Cette thèse est donc dédiée à la caractérisation et la modélisation des composants à grand gap, mais également l'étude des dispositifs de mesure des courants des commutations des composants rapides. Afin de déterminer les caractéristiques statiques des composants semi-conducteurs, une méthode de mesure en mode pulsé est présentée. Dans le cadre de cette étude, une diode SiC et un JFET SiC "normally-off" sont caractérisés à l'aide de cette méthode. Afin de mesurer les capacités inter-électrodes de ces composants, une nouvelle méthode basée sur l'utilisation des pinces de courant est proposée. Des modèles comportementaux d'une diode Si et d'un JFET SiC sont proposés en utilisant les résultats de caractérisation. Le modèle de la diode obtenu est validé par des mesures des courants au blocage (recouvrement inverse) dans différentes conditions de commutation. Pour valider le modèle du JFET SiC, une méthode de mesure utilisant une pince de courant de surface est proposée
Compared to traditional silicon (Si) semiconductor material, wide bandgap (WBG) materials like silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride are gradually applied to fabricate power semiconductor devices, which are used in power converters to achieve high power efficiency, high operation temperature and high switching frequency. As those power devices are relatively new, their characterization and modeling are important to better understand their characteristics for better use. This dissertation is mainly focused on those WBG power semiconductor devices characterization, modeling and fast switching currents measurement. In order to measure their static characteristics, a single-pulse method is presented. A SiC diode and a "normally-off" SiC JFET is characterized by this method from ambient temperature to their maximal junction temperature with the maximal power dissipation around kilowatt. Afterwards, in order to determine power device inter-electrode capacitances, a measurement method based on the use of multiple current probes is proposed and validated by measuring inter-electrode capacitances of power devices of different technologies. Behavioral models of a Si diode and the SiC JFET are built by using the results of the above characterization methods, by which the evolution of the inter-electrode capacitances for different operating conditions are included in the models. Power diode models are validated with the measurements, in which the current is measured by a proposed current surface probe

On trouve sur la plateforme de thèses en ligne Pastel le résumé suivant : Le développement du laser a ouvert la voix à l'exploration de nouveaux domaines scientifiques et industriels. Les impulsions laser à haute intensité sont un outil unique pour les études d'interaction lumière/matière et leurs applications. Mais elles sont générées par des systèmes laser reposant sur l'utilisation de milieux à gain en verre pompés par des lampes flashes et sont donc intrinsèquement limitées en termes de cadence et d'efficacité. Le développement, au cours de ces dernières années, des lasers semi-conducteurs a attiré l'attention sur une nouvelle classe de lasers, les « laser solides pompés par diodes » (DPSSL). Ils possèdent une grande efficacité et sont des candidats de choix pour les systèmes compacts à haute puissance moyenne requis pour des applications industrielles, mais aussi en tant que sources de pompe à haute puissance pour des lasers ultra-intenses. Les travaux décrits dans cette thèse s'inscrivent dans le cadre du système laser Lucia (1 kilowatt de puissance moyenne), actuellement en construction au «Laboratoire d'Utilisation des Intenses lasers» (LULI) à l'Ecole Polytechnique, France. La génération d'impulsions laser de durée sub-10 nanosecondes avec des énergies allant jusqu'à 100 joules et des taux de répétition de 10 hertz est principalement limitée par l'émission spontanée amplifiée (ASE) et les effets thermiques. L'étude de ces limitations est le thème central de ce travail. Leur impact est discuté dans le cadre d'un premier jalon énergétique fixé vers 10 joules. Le système laser mis au point est présenté en détails depuis l'oscillateur jusqu'à la fin de la chaine d'amplification. Une discussion complète de l'impact de l'ASE et des effets thermiques est complétée par des vérifications expérimentales. Les modèles de simulation informatique développés sont validés puis utilisés pour prédire les performances du système laser qui, lors d'une première activation, à atteint un niveau d'énergie de 7 joules en régime mono-coup et de 6,6 joules pour un taux de répétition de 2 hertz. Les limitations actuelles sont discutées ainsi que les approches envisagées pour des développements futurs
On trouve sur la plateforme de thèses en ligne Pastel le résumé suivant : The development of the laser triggered the birth of numerous fields in both scientific and industrial domains. High intensity laser pulses are a unique tool for light/matter interaction studies and applications. However, current flash-pumped glass-based systems are inherently limited in repetition-rate and efficiency. Development within recent years in the field of semiconductor lasers and gain media drew special attention to a new class of lasers, the so-called Diode Pumped Solid State Laser (DPSSL). DPSSLs are highly efficient lasers and are candidates of choice for compact, high average-power systems required for industrial applications but also as high-power pump sources for ultra-high intense lasers. The work described in this thesis takes place in the context of the 1 kilowatt average-power DPSSL program Lucia, currently under construction at the ‘Laboratoire d'Utilisation des Laser Intenses' (LULI) at the Ecole Polytechnique, France. Generation of sub-10 nanosecond long pulses with energies of up to 100 joules at repetition rates of 10 hertz are mainly limited by Amplified Spontaneous Emission (ASE) and thermal effects. These limitations are the central themes of this work. Their impact is discussed within the context of a first Lucia milestone, set around 10 joules. The developed laser system is shown in detail from the oscillator level to the end of the amplification line. A comprehensive discussion of the impact of ASE and thermal effects is completed by related experimental benchmarks. The validated models are used to predict the performances of the laser system, finally resulting in a first activation of the laser system at an energy level of 7 joules in a single-shot regime and 6. 6 joules at repetition rates up to 2 hertz. Limitations and further scaling approaches are discussed, followed by an outlook for the further development

For organic electronic device applications materials are needed which display good charge carrier mobility, good processability, and stability towards oxygen and moisture. Alkynylated N-Heteroacenes fulfill many of these requirements. Substitution with alkyne groups as well as the introduction of the pyrazine subunit both inhibits oxidative degradation at sensitive position in the molecules. Additionally the trialkylsilylethynyl group aides in directing the packing motif as well as vastly increases the solubility over unsubstituted analogues. A requisite precursor in the synthesis of alkynylated N-heteroacenes is alkynylated acenothiadiazoles. These thiadiazoles display interesting photophysical properties and can be functionalized to produce a wide range of properties in closely related materials. The acenothiadiazoles themselves have potential applications as an N-type semiconductor. Optical gaps and calculated HOMO-LUMO gaps show that these molecules, when compared to known N-type materials, should be easily injected with electrons. Additionally the crystal packing of these compounds shows favorable π-orbital overlap which should provide excellent charge carrier mobilities.

In this document, we present ou study about the conception and realization of VMOS and Schottky and JBS Diodes on Silicon Carbide. This work allowed us optimize and fabricate diodes using Tungsten as Schottky barrier on both Schottky and JBS diodes of different blocking capability between 1.2kV and 9kV. Moreover, our study of the VMOS, by considering the overall fabrication process, has permitted to identify the totality of the problems we are facing. Thusly we could ameliorate the devices and try new designs as the VIEMOS or the monolithic integration of temperature and current sensors.

Abstract Although gain-switching is a simple, well-established technique for obtaining ultrashort optical pulses generated with laser diodes, the optical energy in a pulse achievable from commercial structures using this technique is no more than moderate and the ‘spiking’ behaviour seen at turn-on is likely to evolve into trailing oscillations. This thesis investigates, develops and improves laser diodes in order to offer experimentally verified solutions for maximizing the optical energy so as to achieve a peak power of several watts in a single optical pulse of picosecond-range duration in the gain-switching operation regime, and for suppressing the energy located in any trailing pulses to a negligible level relative to the total optical pulse energy. This was addressed by means of either (i) an ultrashort pump current pulse with an amplitude range ~(1–10) A or (ii) custom laser diode structures, both options being capable of operating uncooled at room temperature (23±3°C). For the first solution a unique superfast gallium arsenide (GaAs) avalanche transistor was utilized as a switch in order to achieve an injection current pulse with a duration of < 1 ns, which is short enough to generate only a first optical ‘spike’ when pumping a commercial laser diode. The most promising structure with regard to the second solution was an edge-emitting semiconductor laser having a strongly asymmetric broadened double heterostructure with a relatively thick active layer. Laser pulses with full width at half maximum (FWHM) of ~100 ps and an optical energy of >3 nJ but with some trailing oscillations were achieved in experiments employing injection current pulses in the nanosecond range with an amplitude of ≤17 A, generated using inexpensive silicon (Si) electronics. The performance was improved by introducing a saturable absorber (SA) into the laser cavity, which suppressed the formation of trailing oscillations, resulting in a single optical pulse
Tiivistelmä ”Gain switching” (vahvistuskytkentä) on tunnettu tekniikka lyhyiden (<100 ps) optisten pulssien generoimiseen laserdiodeilla. Kaupallisia laserdiodirakenteita käyttäen optinen energia rajoittuu kuitenkin 10…100 pJ:n tasolle. Tällöinkin, erityisesti suurilla energiatasoilla, optisessa pulssissa ilmenee voimakkaita jälkioskillaatioita. Tässä väitöskirjassa tutkittiin ja kehitettiin kokeellisesti varmennettuja laserdiodilähetinrakenteita tavoitteena saavuttaa >1 nJ:n optisen pulssin energia ja ~100 ps:n pulssinpituus gain-switching -toimintamoodissa. Tavoitteena oli myös minimoida jälkipulssien energia. Tutkimuksen pääsisältönä on kaksi toimintaperiaatetta: Toisessa tekniikassa päähuomio kohdistuu laseridiodin virta-ajuriin, johon kehitettiin elektroniikka, joka kykenee tuottamaan nopeita virtapulsseja laajalla pulssivirta-alueella. Virtapulssin nopeuden kasvattamisen (<1 ns) osoitettiin edistävän gain switching -ilmiötä. Toisena tekniikkana tutkittiin räätälöityä laserdiodirakennetta, joka sisäisen toimintansa perusteella tuottaa dynaamisessa ohjaustilanteessa tehokkaan ja nopean laserpulssin. Kummankin periaatteen osoitettiin toimivan huonelämpötilassa (23±3°C) ilman erillistä jäähdytystä. Ensimmäisessä ratkaisussa käytettiin nopeaa gallium-arsenidi (GaAs) -avalanchetransistoria virtakytkimenä, jolla saavutettiin <1 ns FWHM injektiovirtapulssi 10 A:n virtatasolla. Tällainen virtapulssi on riittävän lyhyt virittämään ”gain switching” -ilmiön nJ-energiatasolla. Lupaavin rakenne toiseksi ratkaisuksi oli reunaemittoiva puolijohdelaseri, jossa epäsymmetrinen aaltoputki ja aktiivinen alue ovat sijoitettu normaalista laserdiodirakenteesta poiketen rinnakkain. Tällä rakenteella voitiin tuottaa ~100 ps levyisiä (FWHM) ja >3 nJ optisen kokonaisenergian omavia laserpulsseja edullisella pii-pohjaisella (Si) elektroniikalla luoduilla 1.5–2 ns:n (FWHM) ≤17 A injektiovirtapulsseilla. Suorituskykyä saatiin edelleen parannettua istuttamalla saturoiva absorbaattori (SA) laserin optiseen onteloon. Tämän osoitettiin vähentävän jälkioskillaatioiden muodostumista

Demands for delivering high instantaneous power in a compressed form (pulse shape) have widely increased during recent decades. The flexible shapes with variable pulse specifications offered by pulsed power have made it a practical and effective supply method for an extensive range of applications. In particular, the release of basic subatomic particles (i.e. electron, proton and neutron) in an atom (ionization process) and the synthesizing of molecules to form ions or other molecules are among those reactions that necessitate large amount of instantaneous power. In addition to the decomposition process, there have recently been requests for pulsed power in other areas such as in the combination of molecules (i.e. fusion, material joining), gessoes radiations (i.e. electron beams, laser, and radar), explosions (i.e. concrete recycling), wastewater, exhausted gas, and material surface treatments. These pulses are widely employed in the silent discharge process in all types of materials (including gas, fluid and solid); in some cases, to form the plasma and consequently accelerate the associated process. Due to this fast growing demand for pulsed power in industrial and environmental applications, the exigency of having more efficient and flexible pulse modulators is now receiving greater consideration. Sensitive applications, such as plasma fusion and laser guns also require more precisely produced repetitive pulses with a higher quality. Many research studies are being conducted in different areas that need a flexible pulse modulator to vary pulse features to investigate the influence of these variations on the application. In addition, there is the need to prevent the waste of a considerable amount of energy caused by the arc phenomena that frequently occur after the plasma process. The control over power flow during the supply process is a critical skill that enables the pulse supply to halt the supply process at any stage. Different pulse modulators which utilise different accumulation techniques including Marx Generators (MG), Magnetic Pulse Compressors (MPC), Pulse Forming Networks (PFN) and Multistage Blumlein Lines (MBL) are currently employed to supply a wide range of applications. Gas/Magnetic switching technologies (such as spark gap and hydrogen thyratron) have conventionally been used as switching devices in pulse modulator structures because of their high voltage ratings and considerably low rising times. However, they also suffer from serious drawbacks such as, their low efficiency, reliability and repetition rate, and also their short life span. Being bulky, heavy and expensive are the other disadvantages associated with these devices. Recently developed solid-state switching technology is an appropriate substitution for these switching devices due to the benefits they bring to the pulse supplies. Besides being compact, efficient, reasonable and reliable, and having a long life span, their high frequency switching skill allows repetitive operation of pulsed power supply. The main concerns in using solid-state transistors are the voltage rating and the rising time of available switches that, in some cases, cannot satisfy the application’s requirements. However, there are several power electronics configurations and techniques that make solid-state utilisation feasible for high voltage pulse generation. Therefore, the design and development of novel methods and topologies with higher efficiency and flexibility for pulsed power generators have been considered as the main scope of this research work. This aim is pursued through several innovative proposals that can be classified under the following two principal objectives. • To innovate and develop novel solid-state based topologies for pulsed power generation • To improve available technologies that have the potential to accommodate solid-state technology by revising, reconfiguring and adjusting their structure and control algorithms. The quest to distinguish novel topologies for a proper pulsed power production was begun with a deep and through review of conventional pulse generators and useful power electronics topologies. As a result of this study, it appears that efficiency and flexibility are the most significant demands of plasma applications that have not been met by state-of-the-art methods. Many solid-state based configurations were considered and simulated in order to evaluate their potential to be utilised in the pulsed power area. Parts of this literature review are documented in Chapter 1 of this thesis. Current source topologies demonstrate valuable advantages in supplying the loads with capacitive characteristics such as plasma applications. To investigate the influence of switching transients associated with solid-state devices on rise time of pulses, simulation based studies have been undertaken. A variable current source is considered to pump different current levels to a capacitive load, and it was evident that dissimilar dv/dts are produced at the output. Thereby, transient effects on pulse rising time are denied regarding the evidence acquired from this examination. A detailed report of this study is given in Chapter 6 of this thesis. This study inspired the design of a solid-state based topology that take advantage of both current and voltage sources. A series of switch-resistor-capacitor units at the output splits the produced voltage to lower levels, so it can be shared by the switches. A smart but complicated switching strategy is also designed to discharge the residual energy after each supply cycle. To prevent reverse power flow and to reduce the complexity of the control algorithm in this system, the resistors in common paths of units are substituted with diode rectifiers (switch-diode-capacitor). This modification not only gives the feasibility of stopping the load supply process to the supplier at any stage (and consequently saving energy), but also enables the converter to operate in a two-stroke mode with asymmetrical capacitors. The components’ determination and exchanging energy calculations are accomplished with respect to application specifications and demands. Both topologies were simply modelled and simulation studies have been carried out with the simplified models. Experimental assessments were also executed on implemented hardware and the approaches verified the initial analysis. Reports on details of both converters are thoroughly discussed in Chapters 2 and 3 of the thesis. Conventional MGs have been recently modified to use solid-state transistors (i.e. Insulated gate bipolar transistors) instead of magnetic/gas switching devices. Resistive insulators previously used in their structures are substituted by diode rectifiers to adjust MGs for a proper voltage sharing. However, despite utilizing solid-state technology in MGs configurations, further design and control amendments can still be made to achieve an improved performance with fewer components. Considering a number of charging techniques, resonant phenomenon is adopted in a proposal to charge the capacitors. In addition to charging the capacitors at twice the input voltage, triggering switches at the moment at which the conducted current through switches is zero significantly reduces the switching losses. Another configuration is also introduced in this research for Marx topology based on commutation circuits that use a current source to charge the capacitors. According to this design, diode-capacitor units, each including two Marx stages, are connected in cascade through solid-state devices and aggregate the voltages across the capacitors to produce a high voltage pulse. The polarity of voltage across one capacitor in each unit is reversed in an intermediate mode by connecting the commutation circuit to the capacitor. The insulation of input side from load side is provided in this topology by disconnecting the load from the current source during the supply process. Furthermore, the number of required fast switching devices in both designs is reduced to half of the number used in a conventional MG; they are replaced with slower switches (such as Thyristors) that need simpler driving modules. In addition, the contributing switches in discharging paths are decreased to half; this decrease leads to a reduction in conduction losses. Associated models are simulated, and hardware tests are performed to verify the validity of proposed topologies. Chapters 4, 5 and 7 of the thesis present all relevant analysis and approaches according to these topologies.

Breitstreifenlaser haben eine breite Emissionsapertur, die es ermöglicht eine hohe Ausgangsleistung zu erreichen. Gleichzeitig führt sie jedoch zu einer Verringerung der lateralen Strahlqualität und zu ihrem nicht-stationären Verhalten. Forschung in diesem Gebiet ist anwendungsgetrieben und somit ist das Hauptziel eine Erhöhung der Brillanz, die sowohl die Ausgangsleistung als auch die laterale Strahlqualität beinhaltet. Um die zugrunde liegenden raumzeitlichen Phänomene zu verstehen und dieses Wissen zu nutzen, um die Kosten der Brillanz-Optimierung zu minimieren, ist ein selbst-konsistentes Simulationstool notwendig, welches die wichtigsten Prozesse beinhaltet. Zunächst wird in dieser Arbeit ein quasi-dreidimensionales elektro-optisch-thermisches Model präsentiert, welches wesentliche qualitative Eigenschaften von realen Bauteilen gut beschreibt. Zeitabhängige Wanderwellen-Gleichungen werden genutzt, um die inhärent nicht-stationären optischen Felder zu beschreiben, welche an eine Ratengleichung für die Überschussladungsträger in der aktiven Zone gekoppelt sind. Das Model wird in dieser Arbeit um eine Injektionsstromdichte erweitert, die laterale Stromspreizung und räumliches Lochbrennen korrekt beschreibt. Des Weiteren wird ein Temperaturmodel präsentiert, das kurzzeitige lokale Aufheizungen in der Nähe der aktiven Zone und die Formierung einer stationären Temperaturverteilung beinhalten. Im zweiten Teil wird das beschriebene Modell genutzt, um die Gründe von Brillanz-Degradierung, das heißt sowohl die Ursprünge der Leistungssättigung als auch des nicht diffraktionslimitierten Fernfeldes zu untersuchen. Abschließend werden im letzten Teil Laserentwürfe besprochen, welche die laterale Brillanz verbessern. Hierzu gehört ein neuartiges “Schachbrettlaser” Design, bei dem longitudinal-laterale Gewinn-Verlust-Modulation mit zusätzlicher Phasenanpassung ausgenutzt wird, um eine sehr geringe Fernfeld-Divergenz zu erhalten.
Broad-area lasers are edge-emitting semiconductor lasers with a wide lateral emission aperture that enables high output powers, but also diminishes the lateral beam quality and results in their inherently non-stationary behavior. Research in the area is driven by application and the main objective is to increase the brightness which includes both the output power and lateral beam quality. To understand the underlying spatio-temporal phenomena and to apply this knowledge in order to reduce costs for brightness optimization, a self-consistent simulation tool taking into account all essential processes is vital. Firstly, in this work a quasi-three-dimensional opto-electronic and thermal model is presented, that describes well essential qualitative characteristics of real devices. Time-dependent traveling-wave equations are utilized to describe the inherently non-stationary optical fields, which are coupled to dynamic rate equations for the excess carriers in the active region. This model is extended by an injection current density model to accurately include lateral current spreading and spatial hole burning. Furthermore a temperature model is presented that includes short-time local heating near the active region as well as the formation of a stationary temperature profile. Secondly, the reasons of brightness degradation, i.e. the origins of power saturation and the spatially modulated field profile are investigated and lastly, designs that mitigate those effects that limit the lateral brightness under pulsed and continuous-wave operation are discussed. Amongst those designs a novel “chessboard laser” is presented that utilizes longitudinal-lateral gain-loss modulation and an additional phase tailoring to obtain a very low far-field divergence.

En raison de l'attrait croissant pour les applications haute tension, haute tempé-rature et haute fréquence, le carbure de silicium (SiC) continue d'attirer l'attention du monde entier comme l'un des candidats les plus compétitifs pour remplacer le sili-cium dans le champ électrique de puissance. Entre-temps, il est important de carac-tériser les défauts des semi-conducteurs et d'évaluer leur influence sur les dispositifs de puissance puisqu'ils sont directement liés à la durée de vie du véhicule porteur. De plus, la fiabilité, qui est également affectée par les défauts, devient une question incontournable dans le domaine de l'électricité de puissance.Les défauts, y compris les défauts ponctuels et les défauts prolongés, peuvent introduire des niveaux d'énergie supplémentaires dans la bande passante du SiC en raison de divers métaux comme le Ti, le Fe ou le réseau imparfait lui-même. En tant que méthode de caractérisation des défauts largement utilisée, la spectroscopie à transitoires en profondeur (DLTS) est supérieure pour déterminer l'énergie d'activa-tion Ea , la section efficace de capture Sigma et la concentration des défauts Nt ainsi que le profil des défauts dans la région d'épuisement grâce à ses divers modes de test et son analyse numérique avancée. La détermination de la hauteur de la barrière Schottky (HBS) prête à confusion depuis longtemps. Outre les mesures expérimentales selon les caractéristiques I-V ou C-V, différents modèles ont été proposés, de la distribution gaussienne du HBS au modèle de fluctuation potentielle. Il s'est avéré que ces modèles sont reliés à l'aide d'une hauteur de barrière à bande plate Phi_BF . Le tracé de Richardson basé sur Phi_BF ainsi que le modèle de fluctuation potentielle deviennent un outil puissant pour la caractérisation HBS. Les HBSs avec différents contacts métalliques ont été caractéri-sés, et les diodes à barrières multiples sont vérifiées par différents modèles. Les défauts des électrons dans le SiC ont été étudiés avec des diodes Schottky et PiN, tandis que les défauts des trous ont été étudiés dans des conditions d'injec-tion forte sur des diodes PiN. 9 niveaux d'électrons et 4 niveaux de trous sont com-munément trouvés dans SiC-4H. Une relation linéaire entre le Ea extrait et le log(sigma) indique l'existence de la température intrinsèque de chaque défaut. Cependant, au-cune différence évidente n'a été constatée en ce qui concerne l'inhomogénéité de la barrière à l'oxyde d'éther ou le métal de contact. De plus, les pièges à électrons près de la surface et les charges positives fixes dans la couche d'oxyde ont été étudiés sur des MOSFET de puissance SiC par polarisation de porte à haute température (HTGB) et dose ionisante totale (TID) provoquées par irradiation. Un modèle HTGB-assist-TID a été établi afin d'ex-plain l'effet de synergie
Due to the increasing appeal to the high voltage, high temperature and high fre-quency applications, Silicon Carbide (SiC) is continuing attracting world’s attention as one of the most competitive candidate for replacing silicon in power electric field. Meanwhile, it is important to characterize the defects in semiconductors and to in-vestigate their influences on power devices since they are directly linked to the car-rier lifetime. Moreover, reliability that is also affected by defects becomes an una-voidable issue now in power electrics. Defects, including point defects and extended defects, can introduce additional energy levels in the bandgap of SiC due to various metallic impurities such as Ti, Fe or intrinsic defects (vacancies, interstitial…) of the cristalline lattice itself. As one of the widely used defect characterization method, Deep Level Transient Spectroscopy (DLTS) is superior in determining the activation energy Ea , capture cross section sigma and defect concentration Nt as well as the defect profile in the depletion region thanks to its diverse testing modes and advanced numerical analysis. Determination of Schottky Barrier Height (SBH) has been confusing for long time. Apart from experimental measurement according to I-V or C-V characteristics, various models from Gaussian distribution of SBH to potential fluctuation model have been put forward. Now it was found that these models are connected with the help of flat-band barrier height Phi_BF . The Richardson plot based on Phi_BF along with the potential fluctuation model becomes a powerful tool for SBH characterization. SBHs with different metal contacts were characterized, and the diodes with multi-barrier are verified by different models. Electron traps in SiC were studied in Schottky and PiN diodes, while hole traps were investigated under strong injection conditions in PiN diodes. 9 electron traps and 4 hole traps have been found in our samples of 4H-SiC. A linear relationship between the extracted Ea and log(sigma) indicates the existence of the intrinsic temper-ature of each defects. However, no obvious difference has been found related to ei-ther barrier inhomogeneity or contact metal. Furthermore, the electron traps near in-terface and fixed positive charges in the oxide layer were investigated on SiC power MOSFETs by High Temperature Gate Bias (HTGB) and Total Ionizing Dose (TID) caused by irradiation. An HTGB-assist-TID model was established in order to ex-plain the synergetic effect

Une étude sur la réduction/suppression de l'inductance de limitation di/dt pour IGCTs et du clamp RCD en utilisant des diodes rapides en silicium (Si) et des diodes en carbure de silicium (SiC) dans les convertisseurs multiniveaux modulaires (MMC). Cette thèse contient :- Analyse des sous-modules de MMC HVDC existants.- Évaluation de l'intérêt des IGCTs dans les sous-modules MMC HVDC et comparaison des pertes avec les IGBT, en utilisant des facteurs de mérite spécifiques aux MMC créés dans cette thèse.- Test de double pulse avec diode à récupération rapide dans un module plastique pour tenter de réduire et supprimer l'inductance limitant le di/dt.- Packaging de puces de diodes SiC PiN à haute tension et courant élevé, test avec IGCT dans le même montage, pour tenter de réduire et supprimer l'inductance limite di/dt, et analyser les spécificités de la diode SiC dans ce montage
A study on Integrated gate-commutated thyristors (IGCT) di/dt limiting inductance and RCD-clamp reduction/suppression using plastic module silicon (Si) fast recovery diodes and silicon carbide (SiC) diodes, in Modular Multilevel Converters (MMC). This PhD contains:- Analysis of existing HVDC MMC Submodules.- Assessment of the interest of the IGCT in HVDC MMC Submodules and losses comparison with IGBTs, using MMC-specific figures-of-merit created in this thesis.- Double pulse test with fast recovery diode in plastic module to attempt to reduce and suppress the limiting di/dt inductor.- Packaging of High-Voltage High-Current SiC PiN diode dies, test with IGCT in the same setup to attempt to reduce and suppress the limiting di/dt inductor and analyze the specificities of the SiC diode in this setup

Typical power outputs of commercially available diode lasers are on the order of 5 milliwatts. This thesis discusses the growth, processing and fabrication of high power (lOO's of milliwatts) diode lasers. Devices were grown by Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE) and by Metal Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition (MOCVD). The MOCVD diode lasers demonstrated room temperature laser operation with peak output powers of 450 mW/facet pulsed mode. The MBE diode lasers demonstrated room temperature pulsed laser operation of 110 mW/facet. The dynamics of the quantum well structure were studied. The carrier concentration, threshold current density and coatings were modeled. It was demonstrated through transmission line analogies that, depending on the thickness of the high reflective coating, the result would be a high output power diode laser or a superluminescent device. The MBE device was coated with a high power coating resulting in a peak power of 450 mW. The MOCVD device was used to study the superluminescence resulting from specific coatings.
Graduation date: 1992

碩士
國立政治大學
國際經營管理碩士班(IMBA)
96
In a highly competitive industry such as semiconductor, enterprises are often faced with the constant challenge in change management that includes product technology, organization re-engineering, system migration or enhancement. How can the organizations quickly adapt to the path of the evolvement in its environment and ensure the competitive advantage in the meantime is a critical challenge for enterprises to achieve. In November 2001, Vishay Intertechnologies, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of discrete semiconductors announced the acquisition of General Semiconductor (the largest producer of low-to-medium power rectifiers and Transient Voltage Suppressor diodes) and assigned its core business to a new Power Diodes Division with its business headquarters located in Taipei. Along with the acquisition, the newly formed organization Power Diodes Division is faced with an immediate challenge on resource reallocation and rearrangement as well as product portfolio consolidation. The new organization needs to be re-introduced to its customers and to the market with the same quality and performance guaranteed. This study introduces and reviews one of the major changes Power Diode Division had gone through: ERP system integration. Throughout the project, there are organizational realignment and critical business process that had been reviewed with a strict time-event schedule. The result of this integration project not only represents the capability of this organization response to the changes, but also the key performance measurement to the acquisition implementation. Through in-depth interviews and literature reviews, the thesis will closely examine the process of the ERP integration and the major obstacles encountered during this practice. The entire ERP integration project will be reviewed under the research framework on strategy, technology, organization, people and environment. Also how business process mapping into the system will be recorded and discussed throughout the paper accordingly. Ultimately, this paper will review the lessons learned during the integration process as well as the experiences gained from it. This can be used as a case study for companies going through merger with system consolidation task or a case study on the industrial supply chain environment.

碩士
國立暨南國際大學
光電科技碩士學位學程在職專班
101
This thesis is mainly driven pulse Arima ADL-65102TL AlGalnP Visible LASER diode. specific plot small easy to drive light emitting the LASER diode lit easily affected by temperature, the use of pulse width modulation techniques the design the LASER diode automatically given optical power feedback control circuit, and to take advantage of the Photo diode detector photocurrent characteristics in accordance with the LASER diode LASER diode detected optical power intensity feedback control LASER diode driver. Then use a bandpass filter to filter out non-control signal-to-noise and the use of pulse width modulation control LASER diode with increasing temperature down to change the optical power, optical power with anti-noise and less than 3% to reach a stable control automatically given optical power control purposes. The analysis automatically set the optical power feedback control with different drive (CC、ACC、APC) under LASER diode optical power characteristics for different temperature. This article analyzes, in the case of temperature changes, the use of Photo diode automatically given control of the optical power of less than 3% of the optical power can be effectively controlled.