Room temperature annealing of gamma irradiated SiC JFETs using electron wind force

Electron wind force (EWF) is a mechanical stimulus that can transport mass in metallic interconnects, but its effectiveness in mobilizing defects in semiconductors is relatively less studied. We explored the potential of EWF annealing as a post-irradiation recovery technique on silicon carbide (SiC) junction field-effect transistors (JFETs). SiC JFETs are tolerant to high temperature and radiation. However, exposure to ionizing radiation introduces defects in the SiC lattice as well as at the oxide interface, affecting device performance by shifting the threshold voltage. Commercially available SiC JFETs were irradiated with gamma rays up to 6 Mrad dose, after which their output, transfer and leakage characteristics were measured. The irradiated JFETs showed a notable increase in drain current, indicative of defect-assisted threshold voltage changes. Following 2 min of EWF annealing, recovery of electrical characteristics was observed. We also employed the Non-Equilibrium Green’s Function (NEGF) formalism to model charge transport in the device, providing theoretical validation for the experimental findings. The results demonstrate that EWF annealing may effectively mitigate radiation-induced degradation in SiC JFETs.