Contact Extensions Over a High- $k$ Dielectric Layer for Surface Field Mitigation in High Power 4H–SiC Photoconductive Switches

We focus on a simulation study to probe the mitigation of electric fields, especially at the edges of metal contacts to SiC-based photoconductive switches. Field reduction becomes germane given that field-induced failures near contacts have been reported. A dual strategy of extending metal contacts to effectively spread the electric field over a larger distance and to employ HfO 2 as a high- ${k}$ dielectric, is discussed. Simulation results show that peak electric fields can be lowered by up to $\sim 67$ % relative to a standard design. Finally, our calculations predict that the internal temperature rise for a $\sim 7$ -ns laser pulse and applied voltages around 20 kV (typical experimental values) would also be effectively controlled.