Characteristics of semiconductor devices at cryogenic temperatures

Overall system requirements have been identified in which it is at least potentially advantageous to operate power conditioning subsystems in a cryogenic environment below about 150 K, 77 K being particularly favored because of liquid nitrogen. As the prospects for adapting passive components to these temperatures are encouraging, the critical issue is the availability of a controlled switch which operates at least as well as at normal ambient conditions. This paper reports the results of a study to determine and compare the characteristics of available semiconductor devices. It establishes majority carrier field effect devices (MOSFETs) as the leading contender and the need to design and develop devices specifically for cryogenic temperatures to obtain optimum performance