Papers by Keyword: Ohmic Contact

Abstract: Accurate characterization of low-resistance ohmic contacts on 4H-SiC is crucial for devicedevelopment, but is complicated by the limitations of the standard Transfer Length Method (TLM).TLM test structures are widely used for extracting the specific contact resistivity (ρC) between metaland semiconductor layers, as well as the sheet resistance of doped layers. The contact formation pro-cess itself, particularly the annealing step, modifies the SiC layer under the contact. This results in asheet resistance below the contact (RSK) that deviates from the sheet resistance of interest between thecontacts (RSH), which invalidates a key assumption of the standard TLM evaluation of a constant RSHthroughout the whole TLM test structure. This study uses 2D TCAD simulation of TLM test structuresto investigate the influence of the contact length L, while using an advanced evaluation method forextracting ρC with the help of a third contact. Consequently, it is necessary to measure the contactend resistance RCE, which is derived from the potential at the end of the TLM contact. The findingsprovide a deeper understanding of the TLM technique’s robustness and offer valuable guidelines foroptimizing TLM test structures to ensure accurate characterization of ohmic contacts on 4H-SiC.

Abstract: Laser annealing is considered an enabling process for a new generation of SiC power devices, since it allows the formation of ohmic contacts on very thin wafers, significantly reducing their total ON resistance. Ni silicide and Ti silicide ohmic contacts have been widely investigated and reported in literature, exploring in detail the role of laser features, metal thickness and thinning process. Nevertheless, adding a small amount of Si to the contact layer could represent an opportunity to increase process options. In this work, a NiSi alloy has been used as a contact metal to study the role of the addition of Si to Ni in the reaction process under UV laser irradiation. Morphological and structural properties of the reacted layers have been investigated by means of Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) analyses. The electrical characterization of reacted contacts has been performed by measuring their Sheet Resistance (R_s) by Four Point Probe (FPP) method and, at device level, by measuring the forward voltage drop (V_f) of Schottky Barrier Diodes (SBDs) fabricated on 150 mm-diameter 4H-SiC wafers. Furthermore, a comparison has been made between Ni and NiSi alloy under the same irradiation conditions. It has been found that adding Si to Ni in the contact metal layer moves the silicide reaction forward, driving the strong relationship observed between structural, morphological and electrical properties of the reacted contacts.

Abstract: In this paper, various annealing conditions using Al-based (Ti/Al/Ti/Au=70nm/100nm /5nm/120nm) and Ni-based (Ti/Ni/Ti/Au=20nm/90nm/5nm/120nm) metal contacts to n-type and p-type ion-implanted 4H-SiC epi layers have been studied in the effort to optimize simultaneous ohmic contact formation with the lowest specific contact resistance (SCR) values. Values of 1.091×10^-4 Ω∙cm² and 1.158×10^-5 Ω∙cm² were achieved using Al-based Ohmic metal contacts for p-type and n-type 4H-SiC, respectively, at an annealing temperature of 950°C and under vacuum for 90 sec. Ohmic formation mechanisms were analyzed using the X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) surface analysis method, indicating Ti₃SiC₂ alloys to be the key intermediate layer formed at SiC/Ti interface, responsible for Ohmic properties to p-type SiC. The paper summarizes the metal process combinations possible for the formation of Ohmic contacts to both n-type and p-type 4H-SiC, offering various options in either using the same metal materials and/or common annealing conditions.

Abstract: Laser Thermal Annealing (LTA) is a necessary fabrication step to improve the 4H-SiC devices by reducing their ON-state resistance. Because the LTA annealing is achieved at the end of the front-end fabrication, the classical Radio Corporation of America cleaning (RCA) cannot be used without affecting the material deposited on the frontside. Therefore, in this study, we investigate the argon (Ar) plasma surface treatment, achieved in our sputtering tool, before the ohmic contact fabrication, as an alternative surface preparation to the RCA sequence. As the Ar plasma modifies the SiC surface morphology, it affects its wetting properties. That can play a key role in the ohmic contact formation by LTA since the nickel turns into liquid phase during the laser irradiation. For an Ar plasma treatment of 30 min, a specific contact resistance of 5.0×10^-5 Ω.cm² has been obtained for an annealing at 5.0 J.cm², which is in the same range than the contact fabricated by LTA involving a classical RCA cleaning.

Abstract: In this work, a method is presented to form structured low-ohmic p-type contacts on Al-implanted 4H-SiC by laser annealing. A metal layer sequence for p-type contacts suitable for UV laser treatment was developed. Furthermore, a method to protect thermosensitive layers from damages by laser treatment is presented. By structuring the top metallization layer, it is possible to use the metal stack as a self-aligned mask. That makes it possible to laser the entire surface of the wafer, whereby thermosensitive layers are protected from damages by laser annealing by utilizing the optical properties of the individual metal layers. To evaluate the method, TLM structures were electrically characterized. TLM structures were electrically characterized successfully demonstrating the feasibility of the presented approach.

Abstract: This study investigates the role of ultra-thin conductive Indium-Tin-Oxide (ITO) as an interlayer at the Metal-SiC (MS) junction to lower the overall specific contact resistance (SCR) for source drain metallization applications on n-type 4H-SiC substrates. In this work, we demonstrate an improvement in SCR by 1 order of magnitude from ~10^-6 Ω∙cm² to 10^-7 Ω∙cm² through the integration of an ultra-thin ITO interlayer. Barrier height (Φ_B) lowering by ~ 0.1 eV was observed at the MS interface as deposited which could have assisted in the reduction of the SCR. Titanium-based Ohmic contacts were subsequently formed at 950 °C. Various thicknesses of ITO were examined to assess their influence on the formation of ohmic contacts to n-type SiC. An SCR (ρ_c) of 6.9×10^-7 Ω∙cm² was achieved through integration of an ultra-thin conductive ITO interlayer at the MS interface.

Abstract: Heavily p-type doped (P⁺) implants are commonly used to achieve low specific contact resistance (SCR) for p-body diodes through a costly ion implantation process. Alternatively, our study proposes a single-step plasma treatment method using BCl₃ plasma. This method incorporated a high concentration of self-activated p-type boron dopants in the SiC lattice with minimal damage. Experimental I-V data from Schottky Barrier Diodes (SBDs), combined with TCAD simulation, demonstrated that approximately 40 % of boron atoms were activated in the SiC lattice (at a depth of 30-40 nm) without the need for high temperature ion implant activation. Our approach using plasma treatment realizes an SCR value ρ_c of ~ 5.6×10^-5 Ω∙cm², which is approximately 1 order of magnitude lower than that of untreated samples.

Abstract: To ensure maximum device current is supplied through a vertical device having a backside ohmic contact, the specific contact resistivity, ρ_c, must be well characterized as it constitutes a portion of the device resistance. While there are multiple approaches to deduce ρ_c, the transmission line model (TLM) remains a convenient choice because of its simplicity in terms of fabrication, measurement, and analysis. For thick substrates where mesa isolation is impractical, the circular transmission line model (CTLM) is an attractive path. In this study we propose an additional restriction on the CTLM design such that the ρ_c is readily extracted from a simple linear regression just as is the case in a linear TLM. We demonstrate the simplified method by extracting ρ_c of an ohmic contact to the c-face of 4H-SiC substrate.

Abstract: In order to make SiC devices more accessible for high-temperature applications, reliable ohmic contacts and metallization systems which can also withstand extended operation at high temperatures are needed. In this work, metal layer stacks containing Ag, Ti, TiN, Ni and NiAl, where NiAl refers to a mixture of 97,4 wt% Ni and 2,6 wt% Al, were deposited on Si and SiC samples and consecutively thermally aged at 400 °C for 100 h in air. Mesa structures were found to be challenging for keeping oxygen from diffusing through the metal stack to the substrate. On flat surfaces, diffusion barriers were successfully used to protect the ohmic contact on 4H-SiC samples from oxidizing. Diffusion barriers made of TiN were found to show pore formation after the thermal treatment. The reason for the pores is thought to be gas formation, which is believed to be the result of the TiN layers containing too much nitrogen. The exact chemical composition of TiN layers therefore seems to be of vital importance for high-temperature applications.

Abstract: New generations of SiC power devices require to be fabricated on very thin substrates, in order to significantly reduce the series resistance of the device. The role of thinning process on the formation of backside ohmic contact has been investigated in this work. Three different mechanical grinding processes have been adopted, resulting in different amounts of defectivity and surface roughness values. An excimer UV laser has been used to form a Ni-silicide based ohmic contact on the backside of the wafers. The reacted layer has been studied by means of Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) analyses, as a function of grinding process parameters and laser annealing conditions. The ohmic contact has been evaluated by measuring the Sheet Resistance (R_s) of silicided layers and the V_f at nominal current of Schottky Barrier Diode (SBD) devices, fabricated on 150 mm-diameter 4H-SiC wafers. A strong relationship has been found between the crystal damage, induced by thinning process, and the structural, morphological and electrical properties of silicided ohmic contact, formed by UV laser annealing, revealing that the silicide reaction is moved forward, at fixed annealing conditions, by the increasing of crystal defectivity and surface roughness of SiC.