Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-2brh9 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-24T18:31:22.877Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Growth of Epitaxial γ-Al2O3 Dielectrics on 4H-SiC

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 February 2011

Carey M. Tanner
Affiliation:
[email protected], University of California, Los Angeles, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, 420 Westwood Plaza, 1667 Boelter Hall, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, United States, 310-794-4763, 310-206-4107
Jun Lu
Affiliation:
[email protected], Uppsala University, Uppsala, N/A, N/A, Sweden
Hans-Olof Blom
Affiliation:
[email protected], Uppsala University, Uppsala, N/A, N/A, Sweden
Jane P. Chang
Affiliation:
[email protected], University of California, Los Angeles, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, United States
Get access

Abstract

Highly oriented ?-Al2O3 thin films on 4H-SiC were engineered to demonstrate their potential as a crystalline high-k gate dielectric in SiC power MOSFETs. As-deposited Al2O3 thin films grown on 4H-SiC (0001) by thermal atomic layer deposition (ALD) were amorphous as determined by in-situ reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED). Upon annealing in N2 at 1100°C, the film crystallized to the ?-Al2O3 phase as observed by RHEED, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Based on Fourier transforms of the HRTEM image, an epitaxial relationship of ?-Al2O3 (111) on 4H-SiC (0001) was observed in which ?-Al2O3 (-110) is oriented with 4H-SiC (-12-10). This orientation was further confirmed by XRD analysis in which only the ?-Al2O3 (111) and (222) peaks were observed. An abrupt interface of both amorphous and crystalline Al2O3 with 4H-SiC was determined by HRTEM.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2006

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1 Saddow, S.E. and Agarwal, A., Advances in Silicon Carbide Processing and Applications. (Artech House, Norwood, 2004).Google Scholar
2 Afanas'ev, V.V., Ciobanu, F., Dimitrijev, S. et al., “Band alignment and defect states at SiC/oxide interfacesJ Phys: Condens Matter 16, S1839–S1856 (2004).Google Scholar
3 Zborowski, J.T., Golding, T.D., Forrest, R.L. et al., “Epitaxial growth of Al2O3/Si heterostructuresJ. Vac. Sci. Technol. B 16 (3), 14511455 (1998).Google Scholar
4 Afanas'ev, V.V., Stesmans, A., Mrstik, B.J. et al., “Impact of annealing-induced compaction on electronic properties of atomic-layer-deposited Al2O3 Appl. Phys. Lett. 81 (9), 16781680 (2002).Google Scholar
5 Hong, M., Kortan, A.R., Kwo, J. et al., “Epitaxial growth and structure of thin single crystal gamma-Al2O3 films on Si (111) using e-beam evaporation of sapphire in ultra-high vacuumMat. Res. Soc. Symp. Proc. 811, 275280 (2004).Google Scholar
6 Lipkin, L.A. and Palmour, John W., “Insulator Investigation on SiC for Improved ReliabilityIEEE Trans. Electron Devices 46 (3), 525532 (1999).Google Scholar
7 Gao, K.Y., Seyller, Th., Ley, L. et al., “Al2O3 prepared by atomic layer deposition as gate dielectric on 6H-SiC(0001)Appl. Phys. Lett. 83 (9), 18301832 (2003).Google Scholar