Improved performance of 4h-sic pin diodes using a novel combined high temperature oxidation and annealing process
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Abstract
In this paper, the application of a novel combined high temperature thermal oxidation and annealing process to mesa-isolated epitaxial-anode 4H-SiC PiN diodes with thick (110 μm) drift regions is presented, the aim of which was to increase the carrier lifetime in the 4H-SiC. Diodes were fabricated using 4H-SiC material having undergone this process, which consisted of a thermal oxidation in dry pure O 2 at 1550°C followed by an argon anneal at the same temperature. Forward current-voltage characterization showed that the oxidised/annealed samples typically showed around 15% lower forward voltage drop and around 40% lower differential on-resistance (at 100 A/cm 2 and 25°C) compared to control sample PiN diodes, whilst reverse recovery tests indicated a carrier lifetime increase also of around 40%. These findings illustrate that the use of this process is a highly effective and efficient way of improving the electrical characteristics of high voltage 4H-SiC bipolar devices.