Lifetime Limiting Defects in 4H-SiC
Abstract
Efforts are under way to develop electrical power systems for Naval vessels and aircraft to be controlled by small, efficient, and reliable solid-state electronic devices, such as high-power (>10 kV) switching diodes. This has provoked significant interest in advancing technology based on 4H-SiC, as this semiconductor is much more capable of withstanding the required high power densities than is Si, which has been the standard material for these applications. Development of these devices requires that the SiC material be of sufficient purity, since defects (alterations from the perfect periodic lattice of Si and C atoms) can trap mobile charge carriers (electrons or holes), thus causing degradation of important electrical properties, such as the average lifetime of the minority carriers. In order to reduce the concentration of these defects (or "traps"), it is important to determine their chemical structure, so that appropriate strategies may be applied during or after material growth to minimize their incorporation.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2008
- Accession Number
- ADA517986
Entities
People
- A. Y. Polyakov
- Benjamin V. Shanabrook
- J. J. Sumakeris
- M. J. O'loughlin
- M. Skowronski
- P. B. Klein
- S. W. Huh
Organizations
- United States Naval Research Laboratory