The relatively recent commercial availability of silicon carbide (SiC) wafers has significantly increased the possibility of electronics based on SiC metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET) design. However, current state-of-the-art SiC MOSFETs possess interface deformities that not only severally degrade SiC MOSFET performance but also complicate the modelling of the surface scattering mechanisms, rendering the conventional modelling techniques insufficient. At the time of this writing, little research towards developing tools that characterize the transport physics of experimentally observed SiC MOSFET behavior has been done. In this work I develop and implement a methodology capable of providing insight into the performance of this promising technology.

In order to bridge the gap between theoretical physics and real world experimentation, I have developed a simulation tool capable of solving the drift-diffusion heat flow equations specialized for SiC MOSFETs. The simulator utilizes techniques such as finite difference approximation, linear iteration, and the Smart Newton method. With this simulator I am able to determine and predict details about the surface transport that are not readily accessible using conventional experimental techniques. Using the methodology presented above, I have succeeded in developing a tool that characterizes the physical transport mechanisms indigenous to current state-of-the-art SiC MOSFETs and achieves agreement with experimental data. In short, the gap between theory and experiment has been bridged, and its results provide valuable insight into the roles of various surface scattering mechanisms, including interface trap occupation, surface roughness, and temperature effects.