1.5 kV <b> <i>β</i> </b>-Ga2O3 vertical Schottky diodes with 58 A surge current and off-state stressing study

Abstract

This study advances the development of vertical, large-area (3 × 3 mm2) β-Ga2O3 Schottky barrier diodes (SBDs) by incorporating double field plates and N ion implantation-based edge terminations (ETs) to significantly enhance the breakdown voltage (BV). By using ETs to suppress the concentrated electric field (E-field) at the anode edge, we achieved a BV of 1.5 kV with a specific on-resistance (Ron,sp) of 9.2 mΩ cm2. The diodes demonstrated a forward current (IF) of 11.2 A at 2 V and an impressive peak surge current of 58 A, with corresponding surge energy and power of 2.24 J and 553 W, respectively. Despite being 44% larger, our SBD exhibited a low reverse recovery time and negligible reverse loss, comparable to commercially available high-specification 30 A SiC diodes. Furthermore, even under stress at −1 kV for 103 s, Von shifted only slightly by 0.1 V, and ΔRon,sp increased by just 4.9%. The diode also demonstrated exceptional robustness at elevated temperatures, with an IF decrease in only 24% at 175 °C. These simultaneously achieved IF, BV, and Ron, and surge characteristics highlight the potential of β-Ga2O3 SBDs as next-generation commercial high-voltage, industrial-level power electronics devices.