Defects in High Energy Ion Irradiated 4H-SiC

The defects produced by 7.0 MeV C + irradiation in 4H-SiC epitaxial layer were followed by Deep Level Transient Spectroscopy, current-voltage measurements and Transmission Electron Microscopy in a large fluence range (10 9-5?ó10 13 ions/cm 2). At low fluence (10 9 -10 10 ions/cm 2), the formation of three main level defects located at 0.68 eV, 0.98 eV and 1.4 eV below the conduction band edge is detected. The trap concentration increases with ion fluence suggesting that these levels are associated to the point defects generated by ion irradiation. In this fluence range the leakage current of the diodes does not change. At higher fluence an evolution of defects occurs, as the concentration of traps at 0.68 eV and 1.4 eV decreases, while the intensity of the level at 0.98 eV remains constant. In this fluence range complex defects are formed and an increase of a factor five in the leakage current is measured. ¬© (2009) Trans Tech Publications.