MOS Interface Characteristics of In Situ Ge-Doped 4H-SiC Homoepitaxial Layers

Abstract

We report on the electrical characterization of the Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor (MOS) interfacerealized on in-situ Ge-doped n-type 4H-SiC epilayers grown by Chemical Vapour Deposition(CVD). In order to study the relevance of this novel material for MOSFET technology, and in particularwhether the Ge presence deteriorates the SiC/SiO2 interface, we investigated the electrical propertiesof MOS capacitors realized on this novel substrate. Capacitance-Voltage measurements, performedto determine the quality of the SiC/SiO2 interface, show that the interface traps concentration is notincreased by the Ge content. The current through the oxide layer, monitored to study the bulk oxidequality and the tunneling mechanisms, indicates that Fowler-Nordheim conduction occurs and that thesubstrate-to-oxide barrier for electrons is comparable to the reported values for the SiC/SiO2 system.