New method of carrier lifetime measurement for accurate power device simulation

A method of carrier lifetime measurement is proposed for accurate power device simulation. It requires the value of independent electron (τ_n) and hole (τ_p) lifetimes. Reverse recovery time and the electron-beam-induced junction current of Si p⁺nn⁺ diodes were measured to obtain the high injection carrier lifetimes (τ_H) and τ_p, respectively. τ_n were deduced by extracting τ_p from τ_H on the basis of Shockley-Read-Hall theory. τ_n of the nonirradiated samples and samples irradiated at electron fluxes of 3×10¹³ cm^-2, 5×10 ¹³ cm^-2, and 7×10¹³ cm^-2 were 3.1 μs, 600 ns, 360 ns, and 300 ns, respectively. For the same samples, τ_p were 2.6 μs, 72 ns, 51 ns, and 33 ns, respectively. These results indicate that τ_n/τ_p values are about one for nonirradiated samples and seven to nine for electron-irradiated samples