Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-5nwft Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-05-09T23:12:12.254Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Thermal Interactions of Ni on Stepped 6H-SiC Surfaces: Implications for Thin Film Microstructure

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 February 2011

Andrew Woodworth ,
Srikanth Raghavan  and
Charter D Stinespring
Andrew Woodworth
Affiliation:
aawoodworth@gmail.com, West Virginia University, Department of Chemical Engineering, 403 Engineering Sciences Building, Morgantown, WV, 26501-6102, United States, 304-293-2111x2425, 304-2934139
Srikanth Raghavan
Affiliation:
Srikantr@csee.wvu.edu, West Virginia University, Lane Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering, Engineering Sciences Building, Morgantown, WV, 26506-6109, United States
Charter D Stinespring
Affiliation:
charter.stinespring@mail.wvu.edu, West Virginia University, Department of Chemical Engineering, 403 Engineering Sciences Building, Morgantown, WV, 26501-6102, United States
Get access

Abstract

Ni films are important as both Schottky junctions and Ohmic contacts for high temperature SiC devices. Ni/SiC Schottky junctions are observed to become Ohmic upon annealing. This transition has been attributed to changes in film microstructure. The experiments reported here compare the thermal behavior of Ni films deposited on standard 6H-SiC (0001) surfaces with films deposited on periodically stepped surfaces. The former were prepared by wet chemical etching and are typical of those used in device fabrication. The latter were prepared by high temperature hydrogen etching. Ni films ranging from monolayer to nominal device thickness (~50 nm) were annealed on both surfaces. Analysis of these surfaces by in-situ Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) and ex-situ atomic force microscopy (AFM) provided elemental, chemical and morphological information. The results show that the morphology and microstructure of annealed films are dependent on initial film thickness and substrate surface conditions.

Keywords

NiAuger electron spectroscopy (AES)devices
Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 911: Symposium B – Silicon Carbide 2006 – Materials, Processing and Devices , 2006 , 0911-B10-03
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2006

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1 Neudeck, P.G., Okojie, R.S., and Chen, L-Y., Proc. IEEE 90, 1065 (2002).Google Scholar
2 Qin, M., Poon, V.M.C., and Ho, S.C.H., J. Electrochem Soc, 148, G271 (2001).Google Scholar
3 Nakamuram, T., and Satoh, M., Schottky, Solid-State Electron., 46, 2063 (2002).Google Scholar
4 Crofton, J., Porter, L.M. and Williams, J.R., phys. stat. sol. (b), 202, 581 (1997).Google Scholar
5 Weitzel, C.E., Palamor, J.W., Carter, C.H. Jr, Moore, K., Nordquist, K.J., Allen, S., Tero, C. and Bhatnagar, M., IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices, 43, 1732, (1996)Google Scholar
6 Nikitina, I.P., Vassilevski, K.V., Wright, N.G., Horsfall, A.B., O'Neill, A.G., and Johnson, C.M., J App Phys, 97, 083709–1 (2005).Google Scholar
7 Mehregany, M., Zorman, C., Rajan, N., and Wu, C.H., Proceedings of the IEEE 86 (8), 1594 (1998)Google Scholar
8 Nakamuram, T., and Satoh, M., Solid-State Electron., 46, 2063 (2002).Google Scholar
9 Nikitina, I.P., Vassilevski, K.V., Wright, N.G., Horsfall, A.B., O'Neill, A.G., and Johnson, C.M., J Appl. Phys. 97, 083709 (2005).Google Scholar
10 Han, S.Y., Kim, K.H., Kim, J.K., Jang, H.W., Lee, K.H., Kim, N.K., Kim, E D., and Lee, J.L., Appl. Phys. Lett., 79, 1816 (2001).Google Scholar
11 Ramachandran, V., Brady, M.F., Smith, A.R., Feenstra, R.M., Greve, D.W., J. Electronic Materials 27, 308 (1998).Google Scholar
12 Stinespring, C.D., Peng, C.Y., Woodworth, A.A., Meehan, K., Murdoch-Kitt, M.J., and Anderson, C.L., Mat. Res. Soc. Symp. Proc. 828, 361 (2005).Google Scholar
13 Kittel, C., Introduction to Solid State Physics, 7th Ed., John Wiley & Sons, Inc. (1996)Google Scholar
14 Lannon, J.M., Gold, J.S., and Stinespring, C.D., Appl. Phys. Lett. 73, 226 (1998)Google Scholar
15 Amoddeo, A., Caputi, L.S., and Colavita, E., J. Electron, Spectrosc. Relat. Phenom., 62, 263 (1993).Google Scholar