Papers by Author: B.J. Skromme

Abstract: Low resistance p-layers are achieved in this paper using a graphite cap to protect SiC surface from out-diffusion of Si during high temperature post-implantation annealing, which is carried out to maximize the activation of Al dopant in 4H-SiC. With a graphite layer converted from photoresist, as high as 1700 and 1800oC post-implantation annealing is able to be used. Low RMS roughness of surface after high temperature annealing shows the effectiveness of the graphite cap. Small sheet resistance and resistivity are also achieved from the high temperature annealing. At room temperature, sheet resistances of 9.8 and 1.3 k
/□, and the corresponding resistivities of 235 and 31 m
-cm are obtained from 1700 and 1800oC annealed samples, respectively. The Al ionization energy extracted from Arrhenius plot is also close to the typical reported values. Therefore, it can be concluded that, using graphite cap could help to activate the Al dopant effectively during high temperature annealing.

Abstract: The impact of high temperature annealing using graphite encapsulation (formed by baking photoresist) on the electrical properties of Ni Schottky diodes formed on the annealed surfaces is studied. The surface morphology is also characterized by atomic force microscopy (AFM). Annealing for 10 minutes at temperatures up to 1800 °C with graphite encapsulation actually reduces the high-current ideality factor of the diodes while raising the current-voltage barrier height (linearly extrapolated to unity ideality factor) from 1.453 V to 1.67-1.73 V. Excess leakage current occurs only in a subset of diodes, which are believed to be affected by extended defects. The AFM images show no significant surface roughening, and the graphite can be removed after processing. This encapsulation method is found to be highly effective in preserving the electronic properties of the surface during high temperature annealing.

Abstract: Formation of I1 Shockley stacking faults by recombination-enhanced defect glide in 4HSiC p-i-n diodes subject to high forward current stress is studied in diodes on both c-oriented and aoriented substrates. The forward voltage increases during stressing for both orientations, accompanied by nucleation and expansion of faults visible in electroluminescence (EL) imaging. Low temperature photoluminescence (PL) measurements on degraded diodes of both orientations reveal the same set of exciton peaks, confirming that the electronic structure of the faults is the same in both cases. The spectroscopic data are compared to self-consistent solutions of the Schrödinger and Poisson equations including polarization charge. Dislocations nucleating the faults are bright in EL images but dark in electron beam-induced current (EBIC) imaging, confirming that they are sites of enhanced radiative recombination.