Light Extraction from 4H Silicon Carbide by Nanostructuring the Surface with High Temperature Annealing

Abstract

Nanostructuring of the surface occurs after annealing at high temperature of 4H-SiC samples. The surface morphology becomes needle-shaped like black silicon. The roughness of the surface also increases due to annealing and a slight etching of nanostructured zones occurs with an accentuated phenomenon at the boundaries. Electroluminescence is obtained by applied forward bias on fabricated PIN diode structures with localized nanostructurated windows in surface. Light intensity seems to be more sensitive to the initial orientation of the substrate and less to the annealing temperature in the 1500°C-1700°C range.