High-voltage semiconductor devices: status and trends

High-voltage semiconductor devices (>300V) are crucial components in a wide variety of applications, the most important of which include motor control, switch mode power supplies, and power factor correction (PFC). Traditionally this application space has been dominated by bipolar-type silicon devices such as the P-I-N diode, power bipolar transistor (BJT), and insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT). Recently, this dominance has been challenged by the commercial introduction of advanced high-voltage unipolar devices such as the silicon superjunction MOSFET (SJ_MOSFET) and the silicon-carbide Schottky barrier diode (SiCSBD). In addition, there is increasing interest in unipolar high-voltage switching devices based on wide-bandgap materials. This paper reviews the current status and discusses future trends of these competing high-voltage semiconductor device technologies in terms of the fundamental physics, device electrical characteristics, and relevant manufacturing issues.