Thermal oxidation of single-crystal silicon carbide - Kinetic, electrical, and chemical studies

This paper presents kinetic data from oxidation studies of the polar faces for 3C and 6H SiC in wet and dry oxidizing ambients. Values for the linear and parabolic rate constants were obtained, as well as preliminary results for the activation energies of the rate constants. Examples are presented describing how thermal oxidation can be used to map polytypes and characterize defects in epitaxial layers grown on low tilt angle 6H SiC substrates. Interface widths were measured using Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) with Ar ion beam depth profiling and variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometry (VASE) with effective medium approximation (EMA) models. Preliminary electrical measurements of MOS capacitors are also presented.