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Influence of Different Contact Lengths on the Correct Extraction of the Resistance Parameters of TLM Test Structures on 4H-SiC

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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.

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Periodical:

Materials Science Forum (Volume 1192)

Pages:

89-96

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.4028/p-U2bkIl

Citation:

Cite this paper

Online since:

May 2026

Authors:

Maximilian Ley*, Julian Kauth, Mathias Rommel, Björn Fischer, Alexander May, Jörg Schulze

Keywords:

4H-SiC, Contact End Resistance, Contact Length, Ohmic Contact, Sheet Resistance, Simulation Analysis, Specific Contact Resistivity, TCAD, TLM Test Structure, Transfer Length

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