Cell geometry optimisation of 4H-SiC power UMOSFETs by electrothermal simulation

Technology computer aided design (TCAD) models for electrothermal simulatio n of 4H-SiC UMOSFET devices are used to show that: (1) temperature gradient s along the highly resistive channels of UMOSFET devices are not significan t and (2) neglecting electrothermal effects during cell design simulations can lead to a nonoptimal cell geometry, resulting in up to 45% degradation in device on-state resistance. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights re served.