Papers by Author: Michio Tajima

Abstract: Polarization characteristics of luminescence from partial dislocations (PDs) in 4H-SiC have been investigated by room-temperature photoluminescence (PL) imaging. After expansion of Shockley stacking faults by high-power laser irradiation, PL from PDs tilted by 6° from their Burgers vector (6°-PDs) was observed with almost the same PL peak energy as that of 30°-Si (g) PDs. The PL from the 30°-Si (g) and 6°-PDs which were mobile under illumination were both found to be polarized perpendicular to their dislocation lines. In contrast, the PL from immobile 30°-C(g) PDs was not polarized. The present results suggest that the carriers bound to the 30°-Si (g) and 6°-PDs have anisotropic wave functions and those bound to 30°-C(g)PDs have isotropic wave functions.

Abstract: We demonstrated high-speed imaging of photoluminescence (PL) and electroluminescence (EL) for not only band-to-band but also multiple deep-level emissions in a multicrystalline Si solar cell. We used a cooled InGaAs camera with a photosensitive range of 900 - 1700 nm equipped with band-pass filters for the selective detection of various deep-level emissions. The exposure time for imaging was only 1 - 10 seconds. Comparisons of the present PL images with the microscopic PL mappings confirmed for us that essentially the same luminescence patterns were obtained.

Abstract: Anomalous expansion of stacking faults (SFs) induced in 4H-SiC under electronic excitations is driven by an electronic force and is achieved by enhanced glide of partial dislocations. An experimental attempt to separate the two physically different effects has been made by conducting photoluminescence (PL) mapping experiments which allowed simultaneous measurements of partial dislocation velocity and SF-originated PL intensity the latter of which is proposed to be related to the driving force for SF expansion through the density of free excitons planarly confined in the SF.

Abstract: We investigated expansion velocities of Shockley stacking faults (SSFs) in 4H-silicon carbide under laser illumination using photoluminescence methods. The experiments showed that the velocity of SSF expansion or the glide velocity of SSF-bounding 30°-Si(g) partial dislocations (PD) is supralinearly dependent on the excitation intensity. We estimated sample temperature by analyzing the broadening of band-edge emission and concluded that the lattice heating by laser illumination is not the cause of the enhanced dislocation glide. The supralinear dependence can be accounted for by a photo-induced sign reversal of the effective formation energy of SSF acting as the driving force of SSF expansion under the illumination.

Abstract: We investigated the optical properties of stacking faults (SFs) in cubic silicon carbide by photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy and mapping. The room-temperature PL spectra consisted of a 2.3 eV peak due to nitrogen and two undefined broad peaks at 1.7 eV and 0.95 eV. On the PL intensity mapping for the 2.3 eV peak, SFs appeared as dark lines. SFs which expose carbon atoms (SFC) and silicon atoms (SFSi) on the surface appeared as bright lines and dark lines, respectively, in PL mapping for the 1.7 eV and 0.95 eV peaks. We believe the two undefined peaks are associated with SFC. This technique allows us to detect SFs nondestructively and to distinguish between SFC and SFSi. We further suggest the presence of inhomogeneous stress around SFCs based on the broadening of the 2.3 eV peak.

Abstract: We demonstrated the rapid and nondestructive observation of structural defects in SiC wafers by full-wafer photoluminescence (PL) imaging under below-gap excitation. The use of visible light emitting diode arrays as an excitation source is essential to the simplification of an optical system and the light excitation covering the whole wafer. We were able to observe the defect-related intensity patterns similar to those obtained by conventional laser-scanning PL mapping. The measurement time of the PL imaging was more than fifty times faster than that of the PL mapping.

Abstract: We investigated the expansion of single Shockley stacking faults (SSFs) in a 4H-SiC epitaxial layer under high-intensity scanning laser beam during room temperature photoluminescence mapping, which is similar to the degradation of bipolar pin diodes during forward current injection. In an epitaxial layer on an 8 off-axis (0001) substrate, the SSF-related intensity patterns induced by scanning high-intensity laser beam were classified into two types. The first one was a triangular pattern and the second a pattern which expanded in accordance with the motion of the scanning laser beam. The origins of the SSFs responsible for both patterns are presumably due to the preexisting basal plane dislocations and the dislocation-loops on the basal plane in the epitaxial layer, respectively. On the other hand, most of the SSF-expansion in on-axis (11 2 0) epitaxial layers were similar to the second type in the (0001) epitaxial layer. We, therefore, suggest that the dislocation-loops, which were located close to the surface, were dominant nucleation-sites of the SSFs in the (11 2 0) epitaxial layers.

Abstract: The advantage of room-temperature photoluminescence (PL) mapping was demonstrated for nondestructive detection of stacking faults (SFs) in off-oriented 4H-SiC epitaxial and bulk wafers. In mapping of the SF-related emission at 2.9 eV on the wafers, the SFs in the surface region appeared as a bar-shaped pattern with the long side perpendicular to the off-cut direction. The use of 266 nm light excitation is essential to detect the SF pattern in the bulk wafers because of its shallow penetration depth. The dark lines crossing the bar-shaped patterns in the epitaxial wafers are ascribable to the basal plane dislocation located close to the SF-planes.

Abstract: The effectiveness of room-temperature photoluminescence (PL) mapping was demonstrated for nondestructive detection of structural defects, such as dislocations, micropipes and stacking faults, in SiC wafers. PL spectra of bulk wafers were dominated by deep-level emissions due to Si vacancies, vanadium and undefined centers like UD-1 at room temperature, while those from epitaxial wafers involved near band-edge emission. We developed a whole-wafer PL intensity mapping system with a capability of zooming in on the area of interest with a spatial resolution as high as 1 μm, and showed that the mapping patterns agree well with the etch-pit patterns originating from the structural defects both on a wafer scale and on a microscopic scale. The intensity contrast around the defects varied depending on the emission band, suggesting differences in their interactions with impurities and point defects.