Papers by Author: Francesco La Via

Abstract: The review on bulk growth of SiC includes a basic overview on the widely used physical vapor transport method for processing of 4H-SiC boules as well as the discussion of three current research topics: (a) Sublimation bulk growth of large area, freestanding cubic SiC, (b) in-situ Visualization of the PVT Process using 2D and 3D X-ray based imaging and (c) prediction of dislocation formation and motion in SiC using a continuum model of dislocation dynamics (CDD).

Abstract: In this work, we investigate, by μ-Raman spectroscopy the distribution of stress field on a micro-machined structures. They were realized on a 3C-SiC substrate, grown on a Silicon On Insulator (SOI) wafer, after lithography and etching processes. Various structures, such as strain gauge, single and double clamped beams, were analyzed, showing different stress distributions. All the structures show an intense variation of stress close to the undercut region.

Abstract: One setback that hinders the breakthrough of cubic silicon carbide is the lack of suitable seeding material for sublimation growth methods such as PVT. We present the growth of large area cubic silicon carbide material, up to a diameter of 100 mm, with a sublimation growth process called close spaced PVT (CS-PVT). Freestanding 3C‑SiC seeding layers were grown by a homoepitaxial CVD process. Subsequently CS-PVT was used to grow crystals up to a thickness of 1 mm. To prevent backside sublimation a carbon containing layer was applied as protection. Due to the presence of a wafer bow as well as a rough backside of the used seeds additional effort was necessary to apply the coating. After growth no visible curvature was present independent of the grown layer thickness and sample size. Raman spectroscopy was performed on the seeds and grown crystals, showing that the overall stress level of the material was reduced by CS‑PVT.

Abstract: This paper discusses a novel annealing technique for 4H-SiC implants which involves the use of pulsed XeCl laser (l=308 nm). In particular, an absorbing graphitic coating is used to protect the sample from surface atoms desorption or phase separation. Both conventional furnace annealing and laser annealing on P and Al implants, commonly employed for source and body in metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs), were examined through Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), u-Raman spectroscopy and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). It is shown that the implant activated through traditional thermal annealing at 1650 °C for 30 min has a large network of dislocation loops, while they do not appear to be present in the laser annealed implant. Through Raman spectroscopy and SEM investigations both the crystalline quality of the laser annealed sample and the integrity of the surface were attested.

Abstract: This work studies the variation of the defects density of in situ doped 3C-SiC layers during heteroepitaxial Chemical Vapour Deposition (CVD). A review on the evolution of defects density as a function of 3C-SiC grown thickness, for different N doping concentrations is offered. The doping range spanned in the experiment suits the realization of power devices.The outcome of this work provides an explanatory picture of the significant drop in stacking faults density by roughly an order of magnitude through the N doping at concentrations of the order of ~2.9×10¹⁹ cm^-3 during the growth. Conversely, N doping shows to favor the development of dislocation-like defects within the crystalline matrix. However, in few um, the crystal is able to display an effective dislocation closure mechanism, which rapidly recovers crystal quality.

Abstract: This study offers a comprehensive examination of the behavior of 3C-SiC crystals grown on 4° off-axis (100) Si substrates with different off-axis angles along <110> and <100> for N and Al doping, respectively. The investigation takes advantage of molten KOH etching to conduct an in-depth investigation of the average density and size of the SFs inside the crystal for both n- and p-type doped 3C-SiC epitaxial layers. Moreover, 3C-SiC grown on a <100> off-cut substrate was revealed to have a greater concentration of SFs due to the absence of self-annihilation along the plane (-1-10). Considering two different doping ranges suitable for IGBTs and MOSFETs development, the impact of doping and off-angle on the crystal quality, concentration, and length distribution of SFs was then investigated in order to quantify the influence of N and Al incorporation on the structural and optical characteristics of the semiconductor. It turned out that under heavy nitrogen doping (~10¹⁹ cm^-3), when the dopant concentration grew, the average length of the stacking faults (SFs) expanded while their density dropped.

Abstract: Silicon Carbide (SiC) has been demonstrated as both a bio- and neuro-compatible wide-band-gap semiconductor with a high thermal conductivity and magnetic susceptibility and may be potentially compatible with human brain tissue. Two single-crystal, solid-state forms of SiC have been used to create monolithic intracortical neural implants (INI) without using physiologically exposed metals or polymers, thus eliminating many known reliability challenges in-vivo through a single, homogenous material. Amorphous SiC (a-SiC) was used to insulate 16-channel functional INI and the electrochemical and MRI compatibility (7T) performance were measured. 4H-SiC interfaces were fabricated using homoepitaxy,alternating epitaxial films of n-type and p-type forming an isolating PN junction which prevents substrate leakage current between the 16 adjacent electrodes and traces fabricated which were formed using deep-reactive ion etching (DRIE). 3C-SiC interfaces were fabricated in a similar fashion, but the epitaial conductive layers were grown on on both bulk crystalline (100) silicon and SOI wafers. In both cases a conformal coating of a-SiC was used as the top-side insulator and windows opened using RIE to allow electrochemical interaction. Electrochemical charaterization achieved through electrochemcial impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and cyclic voltammetry (CV) indicates performance on par, or exceeding, that of Pt reference electrodes with the same form fit. While magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is an essential, non-contact method used to investigate issues with the nervous system, the high field MRI (e.g., 3 T and higher) necessary for proper diagnosis can be a safety issue for patients with INI due to inductive coupling between the powerful electromagnetic fields and the implanted device. This results in having to use lower electromagnetic field power (less than 1.5T), and therefore lower resolution, which hinders diagnostic prognosis for these patients. In this work the MRI compliance of epitaxial, monolithic SiC INI was studied. The specific absorption rate (SAR), induced heating, and image artifacts caused by the portion of the implant within a brain tissue phantom located in a 7 T small animal MRI machine were estimated and measured via finite element method (FEM) and Fourier-based simulations. Both the simulation and experimental results revealed that free-standing 3C-SiC films had no observable image artifacts compared to silicon and platinum reference materials inside the MRI at 7 T while FEM simulations predicted an ~30% SAR reduction for 3C-SiC compared to Pt. These initial simulations and experiments indicate a SiC monolithic INI may effectively reduce MRI induced heating and image artifacts in high field MRI.

Abstract: This paper presents a macro-and nanoscale electrical investigation of Schottky and metal-oxide junctions with hetero-epitaxial 3C-SiC layers grown on Si. Statistical current-density-voltage (J-V) characterization of Pt/3C-SiC Schottky diodes showed an increase of the reverse leakage current with increasing the devices diameters. Furthermore, C-V and J-V analyses of SiO₂/3C-SiC capacitors revealed non-idealities of the thermal oxide, such as a high trapped positive charge (3×10¹² cm⁻²) and a reduced breakdown field (E_BD=6.5 MV/cm) compared to ideal SiO₂. Nanoscale electrical characterizations by conductive atomic force microscopy (CAFM) and scanning capacitance microscopy (SCM) allowed to shed light on the origin of non-ideal behavior of Schottky and thermal oxide junctions, by correlating the morphological features associated to 3C-SiC crystalline defects with local current transport and carrier density.

Abstract: 3C silicon carbide is a semiconductor with remarkable properties, making it ideal for the development of long lasting devices, working in harsh environments and under high particle flows. The most significant obstacle to its wider diffusion is the presence of extended, bidimensional and linear defects in its crystal lattice. The purpose of this research is to automatically recognize defects from a TEM image by algorithm that calculates distances and angles.

Abstract: In this work the purpose of the simulations is to optimize a new large volume Silicon Carbide (SiC) detector for 14.1 MeV neutrons. The device has an active thickness obtained by epitaxial growth and an active area of 25 mm². In the first step of the simulations we compare SiC detector performance to Diamond and Silicon detectors, with the same geometric features. In the second step of the simulations we have found the best solution to improve the response of the detector for a fixed epitaxial layer thickness using an overlayer of aniline (C₆H₇N).