Numerical study on light triggering characteristics of NiO/SiC heterojunction thyristor

Abstract

In this paper, the performance of silicon carbide (SiC) light-triggered thyristor (LTT) with a p-type NiO emitter region is analyzed through numerical simulation. The conductivity modulation in SiC LTT is significantly enhanced with the help of high injection efficiency of holes in NiO/SiC heterojunction. The injected hole density at the surface of the p− long base is increased by ∼21.2 times and the corresponding specific on-state resistance (Ron,sp) is only 36.7 mΩ cm2, which is reduced by about 29%. Moreover, hole-injection enhancement by NiO/SiC heterojunction also exhibits excellent potential in improving the dynamic characteristics of SiC LTTs. The simulation results indicate that the turn-on time of SiC LTT can be reduced by ∼57.76% when triggered by 1.0 W/cm2 ultraviolet light. Furthermore, energy dissipations of SiC LTT during the turn-on and turn-off processes can be reduced by 91.4% and 21.9%, respectively.