An investigation was made of the influence of H plasma treatments on defects in 4H-SiC. The H was incorporated into single crystals by plasma treatment, and its effects were characterized by means of current-voltage measurements and deep-level transient spectroscopy. The reverse leakage-current level reduction and the Schottky barrier height increase, after H plasma treatment, could be explained by Fermi-level pinning and interface-state passivation. Plasma-induced defects were formed by the impingement of energetic particles on the crystal lattice, but they annealed out at 400 to 500C. By considering the annealing temperature, it could be concluded that these defect levels were related to C-vacancy defects. It was also revealed, by I-V measurements, that the H passivation of defects was maintained up to 500C.

Influence of Hydrogen Plasma Treatment and Post-Annealing on Defects in 4H-SiC. M.Y.Um, I.S.Jeon, D.I.Eom, H.J.Kim: Japanese Journal of Applied Physics, 2004, 43[7A], 4114-8