Formation and propagation mechanism of complex stacking fault in 180 μm thick 4H-SiC epitaxial layers

Mahadik, Nadeemullah A.; Stahlbush, Robert E.; Dudley, Michael; Raghothamachar, Balaji; Hinojosa, Miguel; Lelis, Aivars J.; Sung, Woongje

doi:10.1016/j.scriptamat.2023.115598

Cited by 4 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…These defects pose significant challenges for high-voltage and high-power SiC power electronic devices [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]. The origins of these defects are often related to many factors, such as substrate quality, growth temperature and cavity structure, and the crystal structure of these defects is usually complicated [ 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 ]. High-voltage and high-power SiC power electronic devices need a large active area to realize high-current applications [ 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of Growth Process on Suppression of Surface Morphological Defects in 4H-SiC Homoepitaxial Layers

Pei,

Yuan,

et al. 2024

Micromachines

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To address surface morphological defects that have a destructive effect on the epitaxial wafer from the aspect of 4H-SiC epitaxial growth, this study thoroughly examined many key factors that affect the density of defects in 4H-SiC epitaxial wafer, including the ratio of carbon to silicon, growth time, application of a buffer layer, hydrogen etching and other process parameters. Through systematic experimental verification and data analysis, it was verified that when the carbon–silicon ratio was accurately controlled at 0.72, the density of defects in the epitaxial wafer was the lowest, and its surface flatness showed the best state. In addition, it was found that the growth of the buffer layer under specific conditions could effectively reduce defects, especially surface morphology defects. This provides a new idea and method for improving the surface quality of epitaxial wafers. At the same time, we also studied the influence of hydrogen etching on the quality of epitaxial wafers. The experimental results show that proper hydrogen etching can optimize surface quality, but excessive etching may lead to the exposure of substrate defects. Therefore, it is necessary to carefully control the conditions of hydrogen etching in practical applications to avoid adverse effects. These findings have important guiding significance for optimizing the quality of epitaxial wafers.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of Growth Process on Suppression of Surface Morphological Defects in 4H-SiC Homoepitaxial Layers

Pei,

Yuan,

et al. 2024

Micromachines

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“…Despite the commercialization of unipolar 4H-SiC devices in the early 2000s, defects remained a challenge for bipolar and higher voltage (6.5 kV+) devices. 4,5 Other promising WBG semiconductors such as GaN and β-Ga 2 O 3 6−10 also face issues such as reduced breakdown voltage and increased leakage current due to extended defects. 6,7 Examples of extended defects include micropipes, 11 threading dislocations (TD), 12 basal plane dislocations (BPDs), 13 ingrown stacking faults (IGSF), 14 polytype inclusions, 15 and recombination-induced stacking faults (RISF).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Similar formation energies of its many polytypes hampered development via challenges in crystal growth and defect formation. Despite the commercialization of unipolar 4H-SiC devices in the early 2000s, defects remained a challenge for bipolar and higher voltage (6.5 kV+) devices. , Other promising WBG semiconductors such as GaN and β-Ga 2 O 3 − also face issues such as reduced breakdown voltage and increased leakage current due to extended defects. , Examples of extended defects include micropipes, threading dislocations (TD), basal plane dislocations (BPDs), in-grown stacking faults (IGSF), polytype inclusions, and recombination-induced stacking faults (RISF) . The impact of these defects on device performance depends on the combination of defect structure, material system, and device type.…”

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confidence: 99%

Nanoscale Infrared Spectroscopic Characterization of Extended Defects in 4H-Silicon Carbide

Criswell,

Mahadik,

Gallagher

et al. 2024

Nano Lett.

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Extended defects in wide-bandgap semiconductors have been widely investigated using techniques providing either spectroscopic or microscopic information. Nano-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (nano-FTIR) is a nondestructive characterization method combining FTIR with nanoscale spatial resolution (∼20 nm) and topographic information. Here, we demonstrate the capability of nano-FTIR for the characterization of extended defects in semiconductors by investigating an in-grown stacking fault (IGSF) present in a 4H-SiC epitaxial layer. We observe a local spectral shift of the mid-infrared near-field response, consistent with the identification of the defect stacking order as 3C-SiC (cubic) from comparative simulations based on the finite dipole model (FDM). This 3C-SiC IGSF contrasts with the more typical 8H-SiC IGSFs reported previously and is exemplary in showing that nanoscale spectroscopy with nano-FTIR can provide new insights into the properties of extended defects, the understanding of which is crucial for mitigating deleterious effects of such defects in alternative semiconductor materials and devices.

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Mechanism of novel defect multiplication impacting high power 4H-SiC devices

Mahadik,

Dudley,

Raghothamachar

et al. 2024

Materials & Design

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Formation and propagation mechanism of complex stacking fault in 180 μm thick 4H-SiC epitaxial layers

Cited by 4 publications

References 23 publications

Influence of Growth Process on Suppression of Surface Morphological Defects in 4H-SiC Homoepitaxial Layers

Influence of Growth Process on Suppression of Surface Morphological Defects in 4H-SiC Homoepitaxial Layers

Nanoscale Infrared Spectroscopic Characterization of Extended Defects in 4H-Silicon Carbide

Mechanism of novel defect multiplication impacting high power 4H-SiC devices

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