Papers by Author: Shoichi Onda

Abstract: We characterized threading screw dislocations to investigate the influence on device performance. The Burgers vectors of the threading screw dislocations (a total of 28dislocations) in 4H-SiC were determined by large-angle convergent-beam electron diffraction. A new type of TSD, b=c+2a dislocation was identified. And all of the four types of TSD predicted were identified. The frequency of their occurrence observed experimentally is in good agreement with theoretical prediction. In addition, we investigated relations of Burgers vector and the dislocation line direction.　 It has been confirmed that the Burgers vector of TSD does not necessarily coincide with the direction of dislocation lines. Looking ahead,　we need to investigate how the angle between Burgers vector and dislocation line influence device performance.

Abstract: We have developed RAF (Repeated a-face) growth method which is high quality bulk crystal growth technology [1, 2]. A block crystal more than 150 mm square size was produced by the RAF growth method. Since c-face growth crystal was produced on the seed obtained from the block crystal, high quality 150mm 4H-SiC wafer was achieved. This paper reports the results of the quality evaluation.

Abstract: Our latest results of SiC bulk growth by High-Temperature Gas Source Method　are given in this paper. Based on Mullins-Sekerka instability, optimal growth conditions to preclude dendrite crystals, which are one of the pending issues for high-speed bulk growth, was studied. First, the simulation studies showed that high temperature gradient in a growing crystal is required for high-speed bulk growth without dendrite crystals. Second, high-speed bulk growth was demonstrated under high temperature gradient.

Abstract: A reduction in threading screw dislocation (TSD) density in 4H-SiC (silicon carbide) crystal is required for SiC power devices. In this study, TSD’s transformation by the RAF (repeated a-face) growth method [1] is observed by transmission X-ray topography (g=0004) of the cross-section of the crystal. Increasing the number of repetitions of a-face growth and offsetting c-face growth to an angle of several degrees reduce TSDs. TSD density is reduced to 1.3 TSD/cm2. The RAF growth method is very effective towards growing high quality SiC crystals.

Abstract: Morphological features, such as the orientation and linearity of basal plane dislocations (BPDs) in SiC crystals, were analyzed by applying a two-dimensional fast Fourier transform (2D-FFT) to X-ray topographic images of the BPDs. An SiC crystal fabricated by an improved repeated a-face (RAF) method and an SiC crystal fabricated by an conventional RAF method discussed in a previous study were evaluated. In the 2D-FFT images of the improved crystal, streaks along the directions were observed, indicating that the BPDs were highly oriented along the directions. The degree of orientation of the BPDs, which may reflect their linearity, was calculated, and the improved RAF crystal had a much higher degree of orientation than the conventional RAF crystal.

Abstract: The impacts of threading dislocations, surface defects, donor concentration, and schottky Schottky barrier height on the reverse IV characteristic of silicon carbide (SiC) junction barrier schottky Schottky (JBS) diodes were investigated. The 100 A JBS diodes were fabricated on 4H-SiC 3-inch N-type wafers with two types of threading dislocation density. The typical densities are were 0.2×104 and 3.8×104 cm-2, respectively. The improvement of vIt was found that variations in the leakage current and the high yield of large area JBS diodes werecould be were obtained improved by using a wafer with a low threading dislocation density. In the range of low leakage current, the investigation shows showed a correlation between leakage current and threading dislocation density.

Abstract: Ab initio calculations were carried out to study the origin of the trap at the SiO2/SiC (MOS: Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor) interface with the three different faces of the substrate, (0001), (000-1), and (11-20). In a previous report we experimentally discovered that the (11-20) face is suitable for high channel mobility. The calculation in this report showed that the MOS interface achieved the intermediate states due to distortion and thus acted like an interface trap. The interface trap density of the MOS interface on the (11-20) face substrate was smaller than those on the other faces. The interface trap densities were 2.14, 3.36, and 1.40 in units of 1015 cm-2 for the above listed substrate orientations, respectively. For clarity, the channel mobility was compared experimentally to reveal that it realized a larger value for the (11-20) substrate than the other two faces. From our results, we concluded that (11-20) face substrate was more suitable for high power device applications than the (0001) face or (000-1) face substrates.

Abstract: We have investigated the techniques to improve the channel mobility of SiC MOSFETs and found that the hydrogen termination of dangling bonds at a MOS interface is very effective in improving the channel mobility, particularly that of the interface fabricated on a (11-20) face wafer. A high channel mobility of MOSFET on the (11-20) face was achieved to 244cm2/Vs by new process which can terminate dangling bonds by hydrogen. The vertical MOSFET, which is prepared using this process, has a low on-resistance of 5.7 mΩcm2 and a breakdown voltage of 1100 V. The channel resistance is estimated at 0.58 mΩcm2.

Abstract: 4H-SiC SBDs have been developed by many researchers and commercialized for power application devices in recent years. At present time, the issues of an SiC-SBD are lower on-state current and a relatively larger-leakage current at the reverse bias than Si-PN diodes. A JBS (Junction Barrier Schottky) diode was proposed as a structure to realize a lower leakage current. We simulated the electrical characteristics of JBS diodes, where the Schottky electrode was made of molybdenum in order to optimize its performance. We fabricated JBS diodes based on the simulation with a diameter of 3.9mm (11.9 mm2). The JBS diode has a lower threshold voltage of 0.45 V, a large forward current of 40 A at Vf = 2.5V and a high breakdown voltage of 1660 V. Furthermore, the leakage current at 1200 V was remarkably low (Ir = 20 nA).

Abstract: We studied the annealing process to improve the field-effect channel mobility (μFE) on the 4H-SiC (11-20) face. We found that wet annealing, in which a wet atmosphere was maintained during the cooling-down period to 600°C after wet oxidation, was effective. The interface states (Dit) near the conduction band edge decreased and the μFE increased up to 244 cm2/Vs. Furthermore, the origin of this high channel mobility was investigated using secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) measurement and thermal desorption spectroscopy (TDS) analysis. It was indicated that the hydrogen density at the MOS interface was increased by the wet annealing and the hydrogen was desorbed mainly at temperatures between 800 °C and 900 °C. These hydrogen desorption temperatures also corresponded to the temperatures of the μFE reduction by argon annealing after the wet annealing. These results indicated that this high channel mobility was achieved by hydrogen passivation during the wet annealing at temperatures between 800 °C and 900 °C.