Enhanced Forward Bias Operation of 4H-SiC PiN Diodes Using High Temperature Oxidation. Issue 1693 (18th July 2014)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Fisher, Craig A.; Jennings, Michael R.; Sharma, Yogesh K.; Hamilton, Dean P.; Thomas, Stephen M.; Li, Fan; Gammon, Peter M.; Pérez-Tomás, Amador; Burrows, Susan E.; Mawby, Philip A.
• Is Part Of: MRS proceedings. Issue 1693:(2014)
• Publication Date: 2014-07-18
• Subjects: devices, -- oxidation, -- electrical properties; Electrical engineering -- Congresses; Physics -- Congresses; Materials -- Research -- Congresses; Materials science -- Congresses; 620.11
• DOI: 10.1557/opl.2014.714
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0272-9172

Abstract

ABSTRACT: In this paper, high temperature (>1400°C) thermal oxidation has been applied, for the first time, to 4H-SiC PiN diodes with thick (110 μm) drift regions, for the purpose of increasing the carrier lifetime in the semiconductor. PiN diodes were fabricated using 4H-SiC material that had undergone thermal oxidation performed at 1400°C, 1500°C and 1600°C, then were electrically characterized. Forward current-voltage (I-V) measurements showed that thermally oxidized PiN diodes exhibited considerably improved electrical characteristics, with devices oxidized at 1500°C having a forward voltage drop ( V F ) of 4.15 V and a differential on-resistance ( R on, diff ) of 8.9 mΩ-cm 2 at 100 A/cm 2 and 25°C. Compared to typical control sample PiN diode characteristics, this equated to an improvement of 8% and 23% for V F and R on, diff, respectively. From analysis of the reverse recovery characteristics, the carrier lifetime of the PiN diodes oxidized at 1500°C was found to be 1.05 μs, which was an improvement of around 30% compared to the control sample PiN diodes.