Junction temperature measurement in optically-activated power MOSFET

Abstract

The temperature-dependent optical properties of silicon carbide (SiC), such as refractive index and reflectivity, have been used for a direct monitoring of the junction temperature of a power MOSFET. In particular, the optical response of a 4H-SiC MOSFET-integrated Fabry-Perot cavity to temperature changes has been investigated through parametric optical simulations at the wavelength of λ=450 nm. The reflected optical power exhibited oscillatory patterns caused by the multiple beam interference for which the MOSFET epilayer, between the gate-oxide and the doped 4H-SiC substrate, acts as a Fabry-Perot etalon. These results were used to calculate the refractive index change and, therefore, the optical phase shift of ∆φ= π/2 corresponding to a temperature variation that can be considered as a warning for the device “health”. In practical applications, the periodic monitoring of the optic spectrum at the interferometric structure output gives an essential information about the device operating temperature condition that, for high power operations, may lead to device damages or system failure.