Effectiveness analysis of a non-destructive Single Event Burnout test methodology

It is essential to characterize power MosFETs regarding their tolerance to destructive Single Event Burnouts (SEB). Therefore, several non-destructive test methods have been developed to evaluate the SEB cross-section of power devices. Power MosFETs have been evaluated using a test circuit, designed according to standard non-destructive test methods discussed in the literature. However, destructive events were observed and affected the evaluation of the cross-section. This paper analyzes results obtained using different test circuit configurations based on standard non-destructive test methodologies and evaluates their respective effectiveness. In addition, protection methods are discussed and simulations are performed to better understand the underlying effects.