On the Viability of Au/3C-SiC Schottky Barrier Diodes

Jens Eriksson; Ming Hung Weng; Fabrizio Roccaforte; Filippo Giannazzo; Salvatore Di Franco; Stefano Leone; Vito Raineri

doi:10.4028/www.scientific.net/MSF.645-648.677

Paper Titles

Experimental Evaluation of Different Passivation Layers on the Performance of 3kV 4H-SiC BJTs
p.661

Novel Fabrication Technology for Devices with nearly Temperature-Independent Forward Characteristics
p.665

Correlation between Schottky Contact Characteristics and Regions with a Low Barrier Height Revealed by the Electrochemical Deposition on 4H-SiC
p.669

Investigations on Surge Current Capability of SiC Schottky Diodes by Implementation of New Pad Metallizations
p.673

On the Viability of Au/3C-SiC Schottky Barrier Diodes
p.677

Comparison of the Threshold-Voltage Stability of SiC MOSFETs with Thermally Grown and Deposited Gate Oxides
p.681

Significant Improvement in Reliability of Thermal Oxide on 4H-SiC (0001) Face Using Ammonia Post-Oxidation Annealing
p.685

Consequences of NO Thermal Treatments in the Properties of Dielectric Films / SiC Structures
p.689

The Limits of Post Oxidation Annealing in NO
p.693

HomeMaterials Science ForumMaterials Science Forum Vols. 645-648On the Viability of Au/3C-SiC Schottky Barrier...

On the Viability of Au/3C-SiC Schottky Barrier Diodes

Abstract:

The electrical characteristics of Au/3C-SiC Schottky diodes were studied and related to crystal defects. A structural analysis performed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), combined with a current mapping of the surface by conductive atomic force microscopy (C-AFM), indicated that stacking faults (SFs) are the conductive defects having the biggest influence on the electrical properties of the Schottky barrier on 3C-SiC. Further, C-AFM current mapping of the semiconductor surface also showed that an ultraviolet (UV) irradiation process enables the electrical passivation of the SFs, due to their preferential oxidation. From current-voltage (I-V) measurements in diodes of different area (different amount of defects) it was observed that, for the non-irradiated surface, no significant dependence of the Schottky barrier height (ΦB) on the contact area could be observed. On contrast, after the UV-irradiation, ΦB gradually increases with decreasing contact area, ultimately leading to a nearly ideal value of the barrier height for the smallest diodes. The results indicate that even after the passivation of SFs there are still some electrically active defects contributing to deleterious conduction, responsible for a worsening of the electrical properties of the diodes.