Electron trapping in 4H-SiC MOS capacitors fabricated by pre-oxidation nitrogen implantation

Incorporation of nitrogen (N) atoms by ion implantation prior to oxidation of SiO2/4H-SiC interfaces has been investigated by capacitance-voltage (C-V) characteristics and constant capacitance deep-level-transient spectroscopy (CCDLTS) measurements. The shift of the C-V curves to negative voltages can be explained by the partial activation of implanted N atoms during oxidation. The maximum amplitude of the CCDLTS spectra, proportional to the density of near-interface oxide traps, decreases with increasing N dose, but remains significantly larger than that of SiO2/SiC interfaces fabricated by post oxidation annealing in nitric oxide (NO). Intrinsic defects in the SiC epi-layer associated with implantation damage are also observed in N-implanted samples. In contrast, electron traps energetically close to the SiC conduction band, detected in NO annealed samples and presumably introduced during oxidation, are not observed in N-implanted samples. The improved transport characteristics of MOS transistors fabricated on N-implanted epi-layers compared to those fabricated by NO annealing is suggested to result from the effects of the greater N donor concentration and also possibly to the suppression of shallow electron traps in the SiC epilayer. (C) 2011 American Institute of Physics. [doi: 10.1063/1.3583574]