A Robust Process for Ion Implant Annealing of SiC in a Low-Pressure Silane Ambient

ABSTRACT High-dose Al implants in n-type epitaxial layers have been successfully annealed at 1600°C without any evidence of step bunching. Anneals were conducted in a silane ambient and at a process pressure of 150 Torr. Silane, 3% premixed in 97% UHP Ar, was further diluted in a 6 slm Ar carrier gas and introduced into a CVD reactor where the sample was heated via RF induction. A 30 minute anneal was performed followed by a purge in Ar at which time the RF power was switched off. The samples were then studied via plan-view secondary electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The resulting surface morphology was step- free and flat.