Domestic researchers evaluated the radiation resistance of silicon carbide (SiC) power semiconductor devices in space environments and developed technology to ensure reliability.
The research team led by senior researcher Jae-hwa Seo at the Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute's Next-Generation Semiconductor Research Center announced on the 17th that they had developed technology for evaluating the radiation resistance of SiC power semiconductors.
Power semiconductors are key components of electrical and electronic devices, controlling current direction and managing power conversion, akin to muscles in the human body. Although silicon (Si) is the most widely used material for power semiconductors in space environments, wide-bandgap power semiconductors with high performance and durability, such as silicon carbide (SiC) and diamond, are gaining attention as next-generation candidates.
Space radiation is cited as a significant cause of serious degradation in the electrical properties of power semiconductors embedded in aircraft, rovers, and satellites. This is why research on radiation effects on power semiconductors is crucial.
The research team successfully evaluated the radiation resistance of SiC power semiconductors through high-energy space environment simulation for the first time in the country. They simulated the space environment using high-energy protons (100 MeV) from accelerator facilities. The team systematically analyzed various effects on SiC power semiconductors, such as voltage changes, increased leakage currents due to exposure, and lattice damage under space environment conditions, and the research results were published in the international journal 'Radiation Physics and Chemistry.'
Seo noted, "Setting various radiation influence parameters and testing core components in a similarly simulated environment is regarded as a key technology in the global space industry," adding, "Technology will be applied in various fields, including space and aviation, medical radiation devices, nuclear power generation and radiation waste disposal facilities, and defense electronic products."
The research team plans to use this technology to assess the reliability of SiC power semiconductors under ultra-high-energy (over 200 MeV) radiation conditions and to develop 'next-generation radiation-resistance power semiconductor' devices.