Composite Ohmic Contacts to SiC

Abstract

Composite ohmic contacts designed for SiC devices operating in air at 350°C have been studied. Ohmic contacts to n- and p-4H-SiC were protected against inter-diffusion and oxidation by Ta-Si-N layers obtained by sputter deposition from a TaSi2 target in a mixture of Ar and N2. Platinum was sputter-deposited at 250°C to promote adhesion between the Ta-Si- N barrier layer and a thick Au cap layer. Platinum also acts as a barrier to the diffusion of Au. The electrical and mechanical characteristics of the composite contacts were stable after hundreds of hours of annealing in air at 350°C. We report the effects of thermal aging on the specific contact resistance and the semiconductor sheet resistance, and the results of wire bond pull and shear tests following aging for Ta-Si-N / Pt / Au stacks deposited on both SiO2 dielectric layers and the ohmic contact layers.