Paper Titles

Advanced Defects Study and Monitoring in New Generation 4H-SiC Devices
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Investigating the Temperature Dependence of Charge Carrier Lifetime in Low-Doped Epitaxial 4H-SiC Layers
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Investigation of Micropipe Defects and Their Strain Field Distortions in SiC Substrates Using X-Ray Topography
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High Quality P-Type 4H-SiC Growth by PVT Method
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Characterization of Deep Levels Introduced by Energy Filtered Ion Implantation with DLTS and MCTS in 4H-SiC
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Observation and Analysis of the “Galaxy” Defect in 4H-SiC through X-Ray Synchrotron Topography
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Growth and Characterization of High-Quality Thick Epitaxial 4H-SiC Wafers for High Voltage Devices
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Silicon Carbide Epitaxial Defects and Substrate Defects Analysis by Dynamic Photoluminescence and X-Ray Topography
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Unveiling the Role of Crystallographic Defects in SiC Device Reliability with Multi Modal Structural Analysis
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HomeDefect and Diffusion ForumDefect and Diffusion Forum Vol. 452Unveiling the Role of Crystallographic Defects in...

Unveiling the Role of Crystallographic Defects in SiC Device Reliability with Multi Modal Structural Analysis

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Abstract:

The fabrication of high-quality 4H-SiC epitaxial layers for power semiconductor devices involves complex processes including bulk crystal growth, wafer slicing, polishing, and chemical vapor deposition (CVD) epitaxy with precise step-flow control on slightly off-cut Si-face substrates. Despite advances, intrinsic crystallographic defects such as threading dislocations, basal plane dislocations, and stacking faults remain significant challenges, propagating into epitaxial layers and degrading device performance and reliability. This study examines defect types and their impact on 4H-SiC wafers, emphasizing the transition from 150 mm to 200 mm substrates, which introduces increased defect densities and polytype inclusions. Comprehensive defect characterization using advanced microscopy, molten KOH etching, and electrical wafer sorting reveals strong correlations between physical defects—such as micropipes, carrot-like stacking faults, and triangular 3C-SiC inclusions—and device failures, particularly under reliability stress tests like High Temperature Reverse Bias (HTRB). The findings highlight the critical role of substrate quality, epitaxial growth conditions, and defect mapping in improving yield and device robustness. This work underscores the necessity of integrating multi-scale defect inspection and targeted reliability assessments to optimize 4H-SiC power device manufacturing and performance.

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Defects Evaluation

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Periodical:

Defect and Diffusion Forum (Volume 452)

Pages:

93-99

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.4028/p-uu09Dm

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Cite this paper

Online since:

May 2026

Authors:

Cristiano Calabretta*, Nicolo Piluso, Ruggero Anzalone, Enzo Fontana, Giovanni Maira, Gabriele Bellocchi, Mario S. Alessandrino, Fabiana Vento, Chiara Nania, Salvatore Adamo, Sonia Zappalà, Giuseppe D'Arrigo, Elisa Vitanza, Nella Bentivegna, Alfio Russo, Giuseppe Arena, Andrea Severino

Keywords:

Altair, Candela, Defects, Em.Mi, EWS, HTRB, KOH, Profilometry, SEM, TEM

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Creative Commons CC BY 4.0

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* - Corresponding Author

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