Improved Deposited Oxide Interfaces from N2 Conditioning of Bare SiC Surfaces

Abstract

The benefits of a new method used to incorporate nitrogen at the dielectric/semiconductor interface of 4H-SiC oxide-based devices are presented. High temperature exposure of the SiC surface to hydrogen and nitrogen, prior to oxide deposition, greatly reduces the amount of electrically active defects to a density at least as low as the one of thermally formed interfaces. These results demonstrate the potential of increasing minority carrier mobility with a low gate dielectric forming thermal budget, with deposited dielectrics, and with limited health hazards.