Modest channel carrier mobility in SiC-MOSFETs with NO annealed gate oxides has been the main factor hampering development of low power devices (300 – 650 V). A very fast interface trap, noted as NI, has been suggested to be the main culprit for poor inversion channel carrier mobility. The origin of the NI trap is unknown, but it is likely a property of the SiO2 and it is enhanced during post nitridation. In this study we show that the NI trap is also detected in 4H-SiC/AlN and 4H-SiC/Al2O3 MIS-capacitors. Observations are done using conductance spectroscopy and capacitance voltage measurements at cryogenic temperatures. This strongly suggests that the NI trap is a property of the SiC surface and not the dielectric used to form the SiC/dielectric interface. Furthermore, a scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) was performed to confirm that there are no SiO2 layers or islands present at the 4H-SiC/AlN and 4H-SiC/Al2O3 interfaces.

One of the main challenges in realizing 4H–SiC (silicon carbide)-based bipolar devices is the improvement of minority carrier lifetime in as-grown epitaxial layers. Although Z1/2 has been identified as the dominant carrier lifetime limiting defect, we report on B-related centers being another dominant source of recombination and acting as lifetime limiting defects in 4H–SiC epitaxial layers. Combining time-resolved photoluminescence (TRPL) measurement in near band edge emission and 530 nm, deep level transient spectroscopy, and minority carrier transient spectroscopy (MCTS), it was found that B related deep levels in the lower half of the bandgap are responsible for killing the minority carriers in n-type, 4H–SiC epitaxial layers when the concentration of Z1/2 is already low. The impact of these centers on the charge carrier dynamics is investigated by correlating the MCTS results with temperature-dependent TRPL decay measurements. It is shown that the influence of shallow B acceptors on the minority carrier lifetime becomes neutralized at temperatures above ∼422 K. Instead, the deep B related acceptor level, known as the D-center, remains active until temperatures above ∼570 K. Moreover, a correlation between the deep level concentrations, minority carrier lifetimes, and growth parameters indicates that intentional nitrogen doping hinders the formation of deep B acceptor levels. Furthermore, tuning growth parameters, including growth temperature and C/Si ratio, is shown to be crucial for improving the minority carrier lifetime in as-grown 4H–SiC epitaxial layers.

We report on a very low density (<5×1011 cm-2) of near-interface traps (NITs) at the Al2O3/4H-SiC interface estimated from capacitance-voltage (CV) analysis of MOS capacitors at different temperatures. The aluminum oxide (Al2O3) is grown by repeated deposition and subsequent low temperature (200°C) oxidation for 5 min of thin (1-2 nm) Al layers using a hot plate. We refer to this simple method as hot plate Al2O3. It is observed that the density of NITs is significantly lower in the hot plate Al2O3 samples than in samples with Al2O3 grown by atomic layer deposition (ALD) at 300°C and in reference samples with thermally grown silicon dioxide grown in O2 or N2O ambient.

Using medium- and high-resolution multi-spectra fitting of deep level transient spectroscopy (DLTS), minority carrier transient spectroscopy (MCTS), optical O-DLTS and optical-electrical (OE)-MCTS measurements, we show that the EH_6∕7 deep level in 4H-SiC is composed of two strongly overlapping, two electron emission processes with thermal activation energies of 1.49 eV and 1.58 eV for EH₆ and 1.48 eV and 1.66 eV for EH₇. The electron emission peaks of EH₇ completely overlap while the emission peaks of EH₆ occur offset at slightly different temperatures in the spectra. OE-MCTS measurements of the hole capture cross section σ_{p 0}(T) in p-type samples reveal a trap-Auger process, whereby hole capture into the defect occupied by two electrons leads to a recombination event and the ejection of the second electron into the conduction band. Values of the hole and electron capture cross sections σ_n(T) and σ_p(T) differ strongly due to the donor like nature of the deep levels and while all σ_n(T) have a negative temperature dependence, the σ_p(T) appear to be temperature independent. Average values at the DLTS measurement temperature (∼600 K) are σ_{n 2}+(T) ≈ 1 × 10⁻¹⁴ cm², σ_n +(T) ≈ 1 × 10⁻¹⁴ cm², and σ_{p 0}(T) ≈ 9 × 10⁻¹⁸ cm² for EH₆ and σ_{n 2}+(T) ≈ 2 × 10⁻¹⁴ cm², σ_n +(T) ≈ 2 × 10⁻¹⁴ cm², σ_{p 0}(T) ≈ 1 × 10⁻²⁰ cm² for EH₇. Since EH₇ has already been identified as a donor transition of the carbon vacancy, we propose that the EH_6∕7 center in total represents the overlapping first and second donor transitions of the carbon vacancy defects on both inequivalent lattice sites.

We present a complete analysis of the electron- and hole-capture and -emission processes of the deep levels ON1, ON2a, and ON2b in 4H-SiC and their 6H-SiC counterparts OS1a and OS1b through OS3a and OS3b, which are produced by lifetime enhancement oxidation or implantation and annealing techniques. The modeling is based on a simultaneous numerical fitting of multiple high-resolution capacitance deep-level transient spectroscopy spectra measured with different filling-pulse lengths in n- and p-type material. All defects are found to be double-donor-type positive-U two-level defects with very small hole-capture cross sections, making them recombination centers of low efficiency, in accordance with minority-carrier-lifetime measurements. Their behavior as trapping and weak recombination centers, their large concentrations resulting from the lifetime enhancement oxidations, and their high thermal stability, however, make it advisable to minimize their presence in active regions of devices, for example, the base layer of bipolar junction transistors.

4H-SiC epilayers grown by standard and chlorinated chemistry were analyzed for their minority carrier lifetime and deep level recombination centers using time-resolved photoluminescence (TRPL) and standard deep level transient spectroscopy (DLTS). Next to the well-known Z(1/2) deep level a second effective lifetime killer, RB1 (activation energy 1.05 eV, electron capture cross section 2 x 10(-16) cm(2), suggested hole capture cross section (5 +/- 2) x 10(-15) cm(2)), is detected in chloride chemistry grown epilayers. Junction-DLTS and bulk recombination simulations are used to confirm the lifetime killing properties of this level. The measured RB1 concentration appears to be a function of the iron-related Fe1 level concentration, which is unintentionally introduced via the corrosion of reactor steel parts by the chlorinated chemistry. Reactor design and the growth zone temperature profile are thought to enable the formation of RB1 in the presence of iron contamination under conditions otherwise optimal for growth of material with very low Z(1/2) concentrations. The RB1 defect is either an intrinsic defect similar to RD1/2 or EH5 or a complex involving iron. Control of these corrosion issues allows the growth of material at a high growth rate and with high minority carrier lifetime based on Z(1/2) as the only bulk recombination center.

Using Deep Level Transient Spectroscopy (DLTS) on n-type MOS capacitors we find that thermal oxidation of 4H-SiC produces deep traps at or near the SiO2/SiC interface with two well defined DLTS peaks. The traps are located ~ 0.85 V and ~ 1.0 eV below the SiC conduction band edge and are present in wet and dry oxides as well as oxides produced by sodium enhanced oxidation and oxides grown in N2O. The deep traps are located at the SiO/SiC interface after oxidation at 1150C but do extend further into the SiC epilayer after oxidation at 1240C. We identify these traps as ON1 and ON2 which been observed in epitaxial layers after oxidation at very high temperatures (1200-1500C) [1].

The deep levels ON1 and ON2a/b introduced by oxidation into 4H-SiC are characterized via standard DLTS and via filling pulse dependent DLTS measurements. Separation of the closely spaced ON2a/b defect is achieved by using a higher resolution correlation function (Gaver-Stehfest 4) and apparent energy level, apparent electron capture cross section and filling pulse measurement derived capture cross sections are given.

Temperature-dependent time-resolved photoluminescence measurements made in the temperature range from 77 K to 1000 K on free-standing as grown n-type 4H-SiC and p-type 4H-SiC epilayers, which are either as-grown or annealed at 1000 °C, 1400 °C or 1700 °C, are analyzed. The development of the instantaneous carrier lifetime over temperature, calculated from the decay curves of all n- and p-type samples, is found to be identical in the entire temperature range. With increasing annealing temperature only the magnitude of the lifetime in p-type 4H-SiC decreases while the trend remains identical to that in the as-grown n-type sample. Annealing thus only increases the density of the main recombination center which appears to control lifetime in as-grown n- and p-type material. The results implies that the lifetime in all samples may be governed by the same intrinsic defect, which we suggest to be Z_1/2.

The effective electron (σ_n(T)) and hole (σ_n(T)) capture cross sections of the electrically active deep levels HK0, HK2, LB1 and EM1 found in as-grown, high temperature annealed and oxidized p-type 4H-SiC were measured by deep level transient spectroscopy (DLTS), minority carrier transient spectroscopy (MCTS) and optical-electrical MCTS and DLTS (OE-MCTS and EO-DLTS) in an effort to determine the potential recombination centers in p-type material. Additionally, we also find the D-center, and the deep levels EH6/7, ON1 and ON2 in our samples, while the levels HK1, HK3 and HK4, reported in literature, are always below the detection limit. We further compare deep level concentrations and the timeresolved photoluminescence (TRPL) measured low injection (τ_LI) in samples annealed at up to 1920 °C. None of the detected deep levels possess σ_p(T):σ_n(T) ratios which could enable them to act as efficient recombination centers in the annealed epilayers, where τ_LI ranges from 1.2·10^-6 s to less than 100·10^-9 s. However, a clear anti-correlation between τ_LI and the EH6/7 concentration is found, which is linked to the main lifetime limiting center in n-type material, Z1/2, via their common origin, the carbon vacancy. Due to their large σ_p(T):σ_n(T) ratio, the Z1/2 deep levels are not detected by frontside illumination MCTS in p-type material. We thus conclude that the main lifetime limiting deep level(s) in p-type 4HSiC appear to be located in the upper half of the bandgap and are most likely either Z1/2, or other deep levels of intrinsic or partially intrinsic origin with a similar σ_p(T):σ_n(T) ratio.