Divacancy in 4H-SiC

Electron paramagnetic resonance and ab initio supercell calculations suggest that the P6/P7 centers, which were previously assigned to the photoexcited triplet states of the carbon vacancy-antisite pairs in the double positive charge state, are related to the triplet ground states of the neutral divacancy. The spin density is found to be located mainly on three nearest C neighbors of the silicon vacancy, whereas it is negligible on the nearest Si neighbors of the carbon vacancy.     

Investigation of the 4H-SiC surface

The silicon carbide (SiC) surface is more complex than that of silicon and can be carbon-terminated or silicon-terminated, and can exist as several reconstructions. Investigations of the surface structure as a function of temperature, under ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) conditions using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and low energy electron diffraction (LEED), are presented. The 4H-SiC surface can be passivated using a silicon deposition/evaporation technique to reconstruct the surface. This has a significant effect on the electrical behaviour of metal contacts to the silicon carbide surface, critical in any electronic device. Atomic resolution STM studies of the 4H-SiC surface have revealed step features and micropipe defects in unprecedented detail. STM has also been used to image clusters of metal deposited on the 4H-SiC surface. The effect of annealing on the behaviour of these nickel clusters is also presented. The surface of the silicon carbide is extremely important in the fabrication of silicon carbide electronic devices and this paper presents a discussion of the SiC surface with particular reference to its impact on SiC device applications in power electronics.     

Identification of the carbon dangling bond center at the 4H-SiC/SiO(2) interface by an EPR study in oxidized porous SiC

We report the observation of a paramagnetic interface defect in thermally oxidized porous n-type doped 4H-SiC/SiO(2). Based on its axial symmetry and resolved hyperfine interactions it is attributed to an sp(3) carbon dangling bond center situated at the SiC side of the interface. This center is electrically active and pins the Fermi level in the oxidized samples. No silicon related paramagnetic dangling bond centers are observed. The formation of dangling bond centers seems to be related to interstitial oxygen diffusion at the interface during the oxidation process.     

Effect of carbon fiber volume fraction on 6H to 4H-SiC polytype transformation

In this study, polycrystalline α-SiC composed of 55.7?wt.% 6H-SiC, 35.1?wt.% 4H-SiC with different volume fractions of carbon fibers (0–5–10–15–20%) was successfully sintered by spark plasma sintering technique at 2000°C and 35?MPa of applied pressure. The micrographs obtained from scanning electron microscopy revealed that the sintered samples were composed of equiaxed SiC grains. Results indicated that the presence of carbon fibers retarded the SiC densification process, decreased their relative densities and increased their porosity. Additionally, according to quantitative phase analysis by the Rietveld method during the sintering step, it was found that the 6H to 4H transformation has taken place. Increasing the carbon fibers content accelerated this trend as the sample containing 20?vol.% carbon fiber was consisted of 85.5?wt.% 4H-SiC.     

Identification of substitutional and interstitial Fe in 6H-SiC

Iron impurities on interstitial (Fe_i) and substitutional sites (Fe_S) in SiC have been detected by ⁵⁷Fe emission Mössbauer spectroscopy following implantation of radioactive ⁵⁷Mn⁺ parent ions. At temperatures <900 K two Fe_i species are found, assigned to quasi-tetrahedral interstitial sites surrounded by, respectively, four C (Fe_i,C) or Si atoms (Fe_i,Si). Above 900 K, the Fe_i,Si site is proposed to “transform” into the Fe_i,C site by a single Fe_i jump during the lifetime of the Mössbauer state (T _1/2?=?100 ns). Fe_i,C and substitutional Fe_S sites are stable up to >1,070 K.     

Raman analysis of defects in n-type 4H-SiC

This paper employs micro-Raman technique for detailed analysis of the defects (both inside and outside) in bulk 4H-SiC. The main peaks of the first-order Raman spectrum obtained in the centre of defect agree well with those of perfect bulk 4H-SiC, which indicate that there is no parasitic polytype in the round pit and the hexagonal defect. Four electronic Raman scattering peaks from nitrogen defect levels are observed in the round pit (395\,cm$^{-1}$, 526\,cm$^{-1}$, 572\,cm$^{-1}$, and 635\,cm$^{-1})$, but cannot be found in the spectra of hexagonal defect. The theoretical analysis of the longitudinal optical plasmon--phonon coupled mode line shape indicates the nonuniformity of nitrogen distribution between the hexagonal defect and the outer area in 4H-SiC. The second-order Raman features of the defects in bulk 4H-SiC are well-defined using the selection rules for second-order scattering in wurtzite structure and compared with that in the free defect zone.     

Electrothermal simulation of the self-heating effects in 4H-SiC MESFETs

A thermal model of 4H-SiC MESFET is developed based on the temperature dependences of material parameters and three-region $I-V$ model. The static current characteristics of 4H-SiC MESFET have been obtained with the consideration of the self-heating effect on related parameters including electron mobility, saturation velocity and thermal conductivity. High voltage performances are analysed using equivalent thermal conductivity model. Using the physical-based simulations, we studied the dependence of self-heating temperature on the thickness and doping of substrate. The obtained results can be used for optimization of the thermal design of the SiC-based high-power field effect transistors.     

Numerical modelling of anisotropy in 4H－SiC MESFET‘s

A numerical model for 4H-SiC MESFET anisotropy is presented in this paper and the device performances, such as breakdown, temperature and transient characteristics, are demonstrated. The simulation results show obvious effects of the anisotropy for 4H-SiC and are in better accordance with the experimental results. The anisotropy for 4H-SiC should be involved in the device design to acquire better performances.     

4H-SiC MOSFET的温度特性研究

对4HSiCMOSFET的器件结构和温度特性进行了研究,总结了器件的结构参数对特性的影响,比较了不同温度下的输出特性以及饱和漏电流、阈值电压、跨导、导通电阻与温度的变化关系,模拟结果表明4HSiCMOSFET具有优异的温度特性,在800K下可以正常工作 关键词： 4H-SiC MOSFET     

氦离子注入4H-SiC晶体的纳米硬度研究

4H-SiC晶体经能量为100 keV,剂量为3×10¹⁶ cm^-2的氦离子高温（500 K）注入后,再在773—1273 K温度范围内进行了退火处理,最后使用纳米压痕仪测量了样品注入面的硬度.测试结果表明,在500—1273 K温度范围内样品的硬度随退火温度升高呈现先增大后减小再增大的趋势,其中773 K退火样品的硬度增大明显.分析认为,退火样品的硬度变化是由退火过程中缺陷复合与氦泡生长导致样品内部的Si—C键密度、键长和键角改变引起的. 关键词： SiC 注入 氦泡 纳米压痕     

H-ion Irradiation-induced Annealing in He-ion Implanted 4H-SiC

Radiation-induced defect annealing in He~+ ion-implanted 4 H-SiC via H~+ ion irradiation is investigated by Raman spectroscopy. There are 4 H-SiC wafers irradiated with 230 keV He~+ ions with fluences ranging from 5.0×10~(15) cm~(-2)to 2.0×10~(16) cm~(-2) at room temperature. The post-implantation samples are irradiated by 260 keV H~+ ions at a fluence of 5.0×10~(15) cm~(-2) at room temperature. The intensities of Raman lines decrease after He implantation,while they increase after H irradiation. The experimental results present that the magnitude of Raman line increment is related to the concentration of pre-existing defects formed by He implantation. A strong new peak located near 966 cm~(-1), which is assigned to 3 C-SiC LO(Γ) phonon, is found in the He-implanted sample with a fluence of 5.0×10~(15) cm~(-2) followed by H irradiation. However, for the He-implanted sample with a fluence of2.0×10~(16) cm~(-2) followed by H irradiation, no 3 C-SiC phonon vibrations are found. The detailed reason for H irradiation-induced phase transformation in the He-implanted 4 H-SiC is discussed.     

Formation of precipitates in heavily boron doped 4H-SiC

Secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) are utilized to study precipitation and the solubility of B in 4H-SiC epitaxial layers super saturated with B. Heat treatments are performed in Ar atmosphere in an rf-heated furnace at temperatures between 1700 and 2000 °C. SIMS ion images, and TEM micrographs reveal the formation of two types of precipitates where the larger, more thermally stable one is suggested to be B₄C. The boron solubility is determined from SIMS depth profiles and is shown to follow the Arrhenius expression: 7.1 × 10²² exp(−1.4 eV/k_BT) cm⁻³ over the studied temperature range.     

N型4H-SiC低温拉曼光谱特性

利用拉曼散射技术对N型4H-SiC单晶材料进行了30～300 K温度范围的光谱测量。实验结果表明,随着温度的升高,N型4H-SiC单晶材料的拉曼峰峰位向低波数方向移动,峰宽逐渐增宽。分析认为,晶格振动随着温度的升高而随之加剧,其振动恢复力会逐渐减小,使振动频率降低;原子相对运动会随温度的升高而加剧,使得原子之间及晶胞之间的相互作用减弱,致使声学模和光学模皆出现红移现象。随着温度的升高,峰宽逐渐增宽。这是由于随着温度的升高声子数逐渐增加,增加的声子进一步增加了散射概率,从而降低了声子的平均寿命,而声子的平均寿命与峰宽成反比,因此随着温度的升高峰宽逐渐增宽。声子模强度随温度升高呈现不同规律,E₂(LA),E₂(TA),E₁(TA)和A₁(LA)声子模随着温度升高强度单调增加,而E₂(TO),E₁(TO)和A₁(LO)声子模强度出现了先增后减的明显变化,在138 K强度出现极大值。分析认为造成原因是由于当温度高于138 K时,高能量的声子分裂成多个具有更低能量的声子所致。     

Electrical and optical characteristics of vanadium in 4H-SiC

A semi-insulating layer is obtained in n-type 4H-SiC by vanadium-ion implantation. A little higher resistivity is obtained by increasing the annealing temperature from 1450 to 1650℃. The resistivity at room temperature is as high as 7.6×10⁶\Omega .cm. Significant redistribution of vanadium is not observed even after 1650℃ annealing. Temperature-dependent resistivity and optical absorption of V-implanted samples are measured. The activation energy of vanadium acceptor level is observed to be at about E_C-1.1eV.     

4H-SiC探测器的γ辐照影响研究

为研究4H-SiC探测器的抗γ辐照性能,使用40万Ci级的⁶⁰Co源对4H-SiC探测器进行了数次辐照,累积辐照剂量最大为1 MGy(Si),并在辐照后对4H-SiC的性能进行了测试。随着累积辐照剂量增加,4H-SiC探测器的正向电流增大,而反向电流恰好相反;根据4H-SiC探测器的正向I-V曲线可提取理想因子和肖特基势垒,理想因子从1.87增加到2.18,肖特基势垒从1.93 V减小至1.69 V;4H-SiC探测器对²⁴¹Am源产生的α粒子进行探测时,探测器的电荷收集率从95.65%退化到93.55%,测得能谱的能量分辨率由1.81%退化到2.32%。4H-SiC探测器在受到1 MGy(Si)的γ辐照后,与未受到辐照时相比,在探测能量为5.486 MeV的α粒子时能量分辨率和电荷收集率仅退化了28.18%和2.2%,仍具备优良的探测性能。     

4H-SiC同质外延生长Grove模型研究

本文通过对4H-SiC同质外延化学反应和生长条件的分析,建立了4H-SiC同质外延生长的Grove模型,并结合实验结果进行了分析和验证.通过理论分析和实验验证,得到了外延中氢气载气流量和生长温度对4H-SiC同质外延生长速率的影响.研究表明:外延生长速率在衬底直径上为碗型分布,中心的生长速率略低于边缘的生长速率;随着载气流量的增大,生长速率由输运控制转变为反应速率控制,生长速率先增大而后逐渐降低;载气流量的增加,会使高温区会发生漂移,生长速率的理论值和实验出现一定的偏移;随着外延生长温度的升高,化学反应速率和气相转移系数都会增大,提高了外延速率;温度对外延反应速率的影响远大于对生长质量输运的影响,当温度过分升高后,外延生长会进入质量控制区;但过高的生长温度导致源气体在生长区边缘发生反应,生成固体粒子,使实际参与外延生长的粒子数减少,降低了生长速率,且固体粒子会有一定的概率落在外延层上,严重影响外延层的质量.通过调节氢气流量,衬底旋转速度和生长温度,可以有效的控制外延的生长速度和厚度的均匀性.     

Plasma wave propagation in a pair of carbon nanotubes

Plasma waves which propagate in a pair of parallel metallic carbon nanotubes are studied within the framework of the classical electrodynamics. Electronic excitations over the each nanotube surface are modeled by an infinitesimally thin layer of free-electron gas which is described by means of the linearized hydrodynamic theory. An explicit form of plasmons dispersion in terms of interaction between the bare plasmon modes of the individual surfaces of the nanotubes is presented in this Letter. The article is published in the original.     

Ohmic contacts of 4H-SiC on ion-implantation layers

The ohmic contacts of 4H-SiC are fabricated on nitrogen ion implanted layers made by performing box-like-profile implantation three and four times. Implantation parameters such as the standard deviation σ and the projection range R_p are calculated by the Monte Carlo simulator TRIM. Ni/Cr ohmic contacts on Si-face 4H-SiC implantation layers are measured by transfer length methods (TLMs). The results show that the values of sheet resistance R_sh are 30~kΩ /□ and 4.9~kΩ/□ and the values of specific contact resistance ρ_c of ohmic contacts are 7.1× 10^-4Ω.cm² and 9.5× 10^-5Ω.cm² for the implanted layers with implantation performed three and four times respectively.     

A novel design approach for the epitaxial layer for 4H-SiC and 6H-SiC power bipolar devices

The paper evaluates the optimal design of the low-doped base region inside power diodes and other bipolar devices. It is demonstrated theoretically that a low-doped base region of P⁺N⁻N⁺ diodes can provide a high breakdown voltage and an optimal on-resistance . A simple, accurate and CPU timesaving approach is presented to extract an optimal value for the base region width, W_B, and its doping concentration, N_D. The paper details an analytical relation between W_B and N_D, and gives a method for quantifying the trade-off between their values for a given breakdown voltage and for obtaining the minimal on-resistance. Analytical results are confronted with experimental results for 4H-SiC- and 6H-SiC-based diodes.     

Characterization of ion-implanted 4H-SiC Schottky barrier diodes

Ion-implantation layers are fabricated by multiple nitrogen ion-implantations (3 times for sample A and 4 times for sample B) into a p-type 4H-SiC epitaxial layer. The implantation depth profiles are calculated by using the Monte Carlo simulator TRIM. The fabrication process and the I--V and C--V characteristics of the lateral Ti/4H-SiC Schottky barrier diodes (SBDs) fabricated on these multiple box-like ion-implantation layers are presented in detail. Measurements of the reverse I--V characteristics demonstrate a low reverse current, which is good enough for many SiC-based devices such as SiC metal--semiconductor field-effect transistors (MESFETs), and SiC static induction transistors (SITs). The parameters of the diodes are extracted from the forward I--V and C--V characteristics. The values of ideality factor n of SBDs for samples A and B are 3.0 and 3.5 respectively, and the values of series resistance R_\rm s are 11.9 and 1.0~kΩ respectively. The values of barrier height φ _\rm B of Ti/4H-SiC are 0.95 and 0.72 eV obtained by the I--V method and 1.14 and 0.93 eV obtained by the C--V method for samples A and B respectively. The activation rates for the implanted nitrogen ions of samples A and B are 2\% and 4\% respectively extracted from C--V testing results.