Nature of Transition Layers at the SiO2/SiC Interface

Published

July 14, 2008

Author(s)

T Zheleva, Aivars Lelis, G Duscher, F Liu, Igor Levin, M Das

Abstract

Electrical performance of SiC-based microelectronic devices is strongly affected by the densities of interfacial traps introduced by the chemical and structural changes at the SiO2/SiC interfaces during processing. We analyzed the structure and chemistry of these interfaces in the thermally grown SiO2/4H-SiC heterostructures using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Z-contrast scanning TEM, and spatially-resolved electron energy loss spectroscopy. The analyses revealed presence of distinct layers, several nanometers thick, on each side of the interface; additionally, partial amorphization of the top SiC surface was observed. These interfacial layers were attributed to a formation the ternary Si-C-O phase during thermal annealing.

Citation

Applied Physics Letters

Volume

93

Issue

2

Pub Type

Journals

Keywords

electron energy loss spectroscopy, interfaces, silicon carbide, silicon oxide, transmission electron microscopy

Citation

Zheleva, T. , Lelis, A. , Duscher, G. , Liu, F. , Levin, I. and Das, M. (2008), Nature of Transition Layers at the SiO₂/SiC Interface, Applied Physics Letters (Accessed October 10, 2025)