Deep-level dominated electrical characteristics of Au contacts on beta-SiC

Electrical characteristics of Au contacts on beta-SiC films, grown epitaxially on both nominal and off-axis (100) silicon substrates, are reported. An analysis of the logarithmic I-V plots of the Au/beta-SiC diodes revealed information pertaining to the deep states present in the materials. It was found that while the beta-SiC films grown on nominally (100) oriented substrates show the presence of two deep levels located between 0.26 and 0.38 eV below the conduction bandedge, the beta-SiC films deposited on off-axis substrates have only one deep level, located about 0.49 eV below the conduction bandedge for the 2-deg off (100) substrates and 0.57 eV for the 4-deg off (100) substrates. The presence of the shallower deep states in the beta-SiC films grown on nominal (100) substrates is attributed to the electrical activity of antiphase domain boundaries.