Papers by Keyword: 3C-SiC

Abstract: We report the effect of changing the growth conditions in the case of bulk 3C-SiC crystals grown by the Travelling Zone Method when the seed is placed on the top graphite rod. First, we investigated the effect of changing the temperature gradient and the cooling ramp. Next we studied the effect of changing the seed polytype and misorientation. Every time, working in the 1700 °C temperature range, the grown polytype was 3C. From X-ray analysis we evidenced a better hetero-epitaxial relationship between the seed and layer when a low misorientation angle was used. Better quality and homogeneity were obtained on the first 500 .m of the layer and, beyond this thickness, micro-Raman measurements show that the effect of solvent (Si) incorporation is not yet fully under control.

Abstract: The Schottky barrier height (SBH) of Al, Ti, Au, and Ni contacts to n- and p-type 3C-SiC is investigated by means of I-V and C-V measurements. All metal contacts to n- (net donor concentration: 1.0 x 1016 /cm3) and p-type (net acceptor concentration: 4 x 1016 /cm3) 3C-SiC show the rectifying I-V characteristics except for Al contact to n-type 3C-SiC. Only Al contact to n-type 3C-SiC shows the ohmic characteristics. As the work function of metal is increased from 4.3 (Ti) to 5.2 (Ni) eV, SBH for n-type 3C-SiC is increased from 0.4 to 0.7 eV and SBH for p-type 3C-SiC is decreased from 2.2 to 1.8 eV. The small change of SBH for 3C-SiC may be correlated to the crystal orientation and the defects on the surface of 3C-SiC.

Abstract: This paper reports on initial fabrication and electrical characterization of 3C-SiC p+n junction diodes grown on step-free 4H-SiC mesas. Diodes with n-blocking-layer doping ranging from ~ 2 x 1016 cm-3 to ~ 5 x 1017 cm-3 were fabricated and tested. No optimization of junction edge termination or ohmic contacts was employed. Room temperature reverse characteristics of the best devices show excellent low-leakage behavior, below previous 3C-SiC devices produced by other growth techniques, until the onset of a sharp breakdown knee. The resulting estimated breakdown field of 3C-SiC is at least twice the breakdown field of silicon, but is only around half the breakdown field of <0001> 4H-SiC for the doping range studied. Initial high current stressing of 3C diodes at 100 A/cm2 for more than 20 hours resulted in less than 50 mV change in ~ 3 V forward voltage.

Abstract: We have investigated the growth of SiC, following a modified sol-gel process, which not only allows the realization of 3D photonic bandgap materials but also is useful for various SiC applications like templates in medicine or filters in harsh environment. Depending on the sol-gel annealing procedure one obtains macro-porous SiC, amorphous SiC, or from nano to micrometer-sized 3C-SiC single crystals. At low annealing temperatures preferably nanowires are grown. Via various sol-gel-annealing procedures we are able to prepare single crystals with sizes ranging from several nm up to several 100 %m, while the resulting polytype only depends on the annealing temperature available. Not only for photonic applications useable procedures for doping with shallow level donors and acceptors as well as with deep level defects are essential. We show that controlled doping is possible either during the sol-gel preparation or via the gas phase during the following annealing procedure.

Abstract: The epitaxial relationship of Si deposited on 3C-SiC was studied using both free standing 3C-SiC(100) material from Hoya and 3C-SiC thin layers deposited on Si(100) as substrates. The conditions of Si growth were varied depending on the substrate. When Si is deposited at 1000°C on (001) 3C-SiC, it is in perfect epitaxial relation with the SiC layer [100]Si//[100]SiC and [001]Si//[001]SiC. After a 20 ms flash lamp pulse on the same sample, which has the effect of fast melting of the Si top layer only, the defects in the Si are eliminated. Using free standing 3C-SiC, the deposition temperature was not limited by the Si melting point so that it was fixed at 1500°C in order to form a set of Si liquid droplets on the surface with diameters ranging from 5 to 20 μm. Surprisingly more than 60% of the Si droplets exhibit the epitaxial relation [110]Si//[001]SiC and [111]Si//[110]SiC after crystallization. The occurrence of this epitaxial relationship can be understood in terms of lattice mismatch reduction from 20% to 18.3%. The conditions of crystallization, most probably the cooling rate, seem to have a strong effect on Si orientation.

Abstract: 3C-(Si1-xC1-y)Gex+y ternary alloys were grown on 8.5° off axis 4H-SiC substrates by solid source molecular beam epitaxy in a temperature range between 750°C and 950°C. Energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis revealed a decrease of the Ge incorporation versus substrate temperature. This effect is due to the fixed Si/Ge ratio during the epitaxial growth. The Ge distribution within the grown epitaxial layers was found to be nearly homogeneous. The investigations by atomic location by channeling enhanced microanalysis allowed the conclusion that Ge is located mainly at Si lattice sites.

Abstract: Vertical DMOSFET devices with varying size from single cell to 3x3 mm2 large devices have been realized. The investigated devices had hexagonal and square unit cell designs with 2 $m and 4 $m channel length. The p-body was aluminum implanted and the source was nitrogen or phosphorus implanted. Low temperature Ti/W contacts were evaluated.

Abstract: Cubic GaN, AlxGa1-xN/GaN and InyGa1-yN/GaN multiple quantum well (MQW) layers were grown by plasma assisted molecular beam epitaxy on 200 &m thick free standing 3C-SiC substrates. The influence of the surface roughness of the 3C-SiC substrates and the influence of metal coverage during growth are discussed. Optimum growth conditions of c-III nitrides exist, when a one monolayer Ga coverage is formed at the growing surface. The improvement of the structural properties of cubic III-nitride layers and multilayers grown on 3C-SiC substrates is demonstrated by 1 μm thick c-GaN layers with a minimum x-ray rocking curve width of 16 arcmin, and by c-AlGaN/GaN and c-InGaN/GaN MQWs which showed up to five satellite peaks in X-ray diffraction, respectively.

Abstract: We have performed a combined investigation of experiment and theory on the infrared reflectance from cubic SiC grown on Si by chemical vapor deposition. A damping behavior of the interference fringes away from the reststrahlen band and a dip or notch within the “flat top” are observed from some samples while they does not occur in high quality 3C-SiC/Si samples. The former is interpreted due to an interfacial transition layer existed between SiC-Si and a rough surface, while the latter can be demonstrated by a three-component effective medium model.

Abstract: Preliminary results for the phonon dispersion curves of hexagonal 4H-SiC from experimental inelastic neutron (INS) and X-ray scattering (IXS) are reported and contrasted with those of cubic 3C-SiC and silicon. The experimental frequencies and scattering intensities are in excellent agreement with those from first-principles calculations using density-functional methods. The relative merits of the two experimental techniques and aspects of the density functional perturbation theory and the so-called frozen phonon method for the determination of the basic phonon properties are briefly outlined.