Carl Hemmingsson

Deep level defects in electron-irradiated 4H SiC epitaxial layers

Deep level defects in electron-irradiated 4H SiC epitaxial layers grown by chemical vapor deposition were studied using deep level transient spectroscopy. The measurements performed on electron-irradiated p+n junctions in the temperature range 100–750 K revealed several electron traps and one hole trap with thermal ionization energies ranging from 0.35 to 1.65 eV. Most of these defects were already observed at a dose of irradiation as low as ≈5×1013 cm-2. Dose dependence and annealing behavior of the defects were investigated. For two of these electron traps, the electron capture cross section was measured. From the temperature dependence studies, the capture cross section of these two defects are shown to be temperature independent.

Capture cross sections of electron irradiation induced defects in 6H–SiC

An investigation of electron irradiation induced deep levels in 6H–SiC p+n diodes grown by chemical vapor deposition has been performed. Deep level transient spectroscopy (DLTS) reveals several overlapping peaks in the temperature range 140–650 K. The electron capture cross sections have been measured by directly observing the variation of the DLTS peak height with the duration of the filling pulse and fitting the capacitance transient using multiple linear regression. Temperature dependence studies of the electron capture cross section were performed on three of the observed levels.

Strain-free bulk-like GaN grown by hydride-vapor-phase-epitaxy on two-step epitaxial lateral overgrown GaN template

Crack-free bulk-like GaN with high crystalline quality has been obtained by hydride-vapor-phase-epitaxy (HVPE) growth on a two-step epitaxial lateral overgrown GaN template on sapphire. During the cooling down stage, the as-grown 270-μm-thick GaN layer was self-separated from the sapphire substrate. Plan-view transmission electron microscopy images show the dislocation density of the free-standing HVPE-GaN to be ∼2.5×107 cm−2 on the Ga-polar face. A low Ga vacancy related defect concentration of about 8×1015 cm−3 is extracted from positron annihilation spectroscopy data. The residual stress and the crystalline quality of the material are studied by two complementary techniques. Low-temperature photoluminescence spectra show the main neutral donor bound exciton line to be composed of a doublet structure at 3.4715 (3.4712) eV and 3.4721 (3.4718) eV for the Ga- (N-) polar face with the higher-energy component dominating. These line positions suggest virtually strain-free material on both surfaces with high c...

Observation of negative-U centers in 6H silicon carbide

Two negative-U centers in 6H SiC have been observed and characterized using capacitance transient techniques. These two defects give rise to one acceptor level (−/0) and one donor level (+/0) each in the band gap. The donor and the acceptor level have inverted ordering, i.e., the thermal ionization energy of the acceptor level is larger than that of the donor level. Direct evidence for the inverted ordering of the acceptor and donor levels and temperature dependence studies of the electron capture cross sections of the acceptor levels are presented.

HTCVD Growth of Semi-Insulating 4H-SiC Crystals With Low Defect Density

The development of a novel SiC crystal growth technique, generically described as High Temperature Chemical Vapor Deposition (HTCVD) is reviewed. The structural, optical and electrical properties of 4H-SiC semi-insulating substrates are investigated with the aim of providing optimal microwave device performances. In particular, alternative compensation mechanisms to vanadium doping in S.I substrates are investigated to eliminate substrate induced trapping effects. Carried out at temperatures above 2100°C, the HTCVD technique uses, as in CVD, gas precursors (silane and a hydrocarbon) as source materials. The growth process can be described as “Gas Fed Sublimation” and proceeds by the gas phase nucleation of Si x -C y clusters, followed by their sublimation into active species that are condensed on a seed. Crystals with diameters up to 45 mm have been obtained with growth rates of 0.6 mm/h. The use of specific process steps, such as in-situ seed surface preparation and micropipe closing are presented and high resistivity wafers with micropipe densities down to 10 cm −2 are demonstrated. 4H-SiC substrates prepared from undoped crystals (with vanadium concentration lower than 5×10 14 cm −3 ) exhibit semi-insulating behavior with a room temperature resistivity of the order of 10 10 Ω?cm. Infrared absorption measurements show that two types of semi-insulating crystals can be grown, with a spectrum either dominated by the Si-vacancy, or by a previously unreported defect labeled UD-1. These two types of semi-insulating wafers are also differentiated by the temperature dependence of their resistivity, with activation energies of 0.85 and 1.4±0.1 eV, respectively, and by the stability of their resistivity upon an annealing at 1600°C. Initial MESFET devices processed on HTCVD grown substrates show better DC characteristics than devices processed on vanadium doped substrates.

Photoluminescence determination of the nitrogen doping concentration in 6H‐SiC

The intensity of impurity and intrinsic luminescence lines reflects the impurity doping concentration. A calibration procedure is presented for the nitrogen impurity in 6H–SiC. The calibration is valid for a large range of n‐type doping from 1014 to 1016 cm−3. Effects of excitation density, temperature during the photoluminescence experiments as well as the observation of acceptor related lines are discussed.

Properties of the main Mg-related acceptors in GaN from optical and structural studies

The luminescent properties of Mg-doped GaN have recently received particular attention, e.g., in the light of new theoretical calculations, where the deep 2.9 eV luminescence band was suggested to be the main optical signature of the substitutional MgGa acceptor, thus, having a rather large binding energy and a strong phonon coupling in optical transitions. We present new experimental data on homoepitaxial Mg-doped layers, which together with the previous collection of data give an improved experimental picture of the various luminescence features in Mg-doped GaN. In n-type GaN with moderate Mg doping (<1018 cm−3), the 3.466 eV ABE1 acceptor bound exciton and the associated 3.27 eV donor-acceptor pair (DAP) band are the only strong photoluminescence (PL) signals at 2 K, and are identified as related to the substitutional Mg acceptor with a binding energy of 0.225 ± 0.005 eV, and with a moderate phonon coupling strength. Interaction between basal plane stacking faults (BSFs) and Mg acceptors is suggested t...

Growth of GaN nanotubes by halide vapor phase epitaxy

We have investigated low temperature growth of GaN nanostructures using halide vapor phase epitaxy on c-oriented Al(2)O(3) and Au coated Al(2)O(3) substrates. Depending on the III/V ratio and the growth temperature, the shape and density of the structures could be controlled. By increasing the GaCl partial pressure, the structure changed from dot-like to nanotubes. The nanotubes, which could be open or closed, were about 1 µm long with a diameter of typically 200 nm. In addition, it was observed that the nanostructures were spontaneously nucleated at droplets of Ga or, when using Au coated Al(2)O(3), on droplets of Au/Ga alloy. By varying the growth temperature, the inner diameter of the nanotubes could be controlled. The experimental results suggest that this approach with pre-patterned Au coated Al(2)O(3)substrates has the potential for fabrication of well-organized nanotubes with a high density.

Investigation of the structural and optical properties of free-standing GaN grown by HVPE

The potential of the high-growth rate hydride vapour phase epitaxy technique and laser lift-off for the fabrication of free-standing GaN substrates is explored. Structural and optical properties of 300 µm thick free-standing GaN have been investigated employing different analytical techniques. The x-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements prove good crystalline quality of the material grown. A comparatively low value of (3 ± 1) × 1016 cm−3 of Ga vacancy-related defects is inferred from positron annihilation spectroscopy data. Complete strain relaxation is observed on the Ga-polar face of the free-standing GaN by XRD and Raman spectroscopy measurements. The strain-free homoepitaxy will significantly reduce the defect density, and thus an improvement of the device performance and lifetime can be realized.

Metastable behavior of the UV luminescence in Mg-doped GaN layers grown on quasibulk GaN templates

Metastability of near band gap UV emissions in Mg-doped GaN layers grown by metal-organic vapor phase epitaxy on thick GaN templates grown by halide vapor phase epitaxy has been studied by cathodoluminescence (CL). The CL spectrum changes its initial shape within a few minutes under electron irradiation. The acceptor bound exciton line vanishes while the emissions related to the stacking faults (SFs) of different geometry rise significantly. The increase of the defect-related luminescence is likely caused by recombination enhanced SF formation under electron irradiation. The CL spectrum transformation is permanent at low temperatures; however, the metastable process is reversible if samples are heated to room temperature.