Depth profiling of high-energy hydrogen-implanted 6H-SiC

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Solid State Physics
• Ion Beam Modification

Background:

• Silicon carbide (SiC) is a crucial material in high-power electronics and harsh environments.
• Ion implantation is a key technique for modifying SiC properties, but it induces lattice damage.
• Understanding and mitigating this damage is essential for device performance and reliability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the depth profile of implantation damage in silicon carbide (SiC) after proton irradiation.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of thermal annealing in repairing the induced damage.
• To refine the application of confocal Raman spectroscopy for analyzing SiC.

Main Methods:

• High-resolution confocal Raman spectroscopy was employed to analyze the depth profile of damage.
• A ray-tracking model was developed to account for optical effects in SiC during Raman analysis.
• Infrared reflectance measurements were used to confirm changes in the refractive index.

Main Results:

• Proton beam implantation (1 MeV, 1x10^17 cm^-2) created significant damage in SiC.
• Confocal Raman spectroscopy revealed distinct depth profiles of implantation damage.
• Thermal annealing successfully reduced the implantation damage.
• Infrared reflectance showed a clear step in the refractive-index profile at the damage depth.

Conclusions:

• Confocal Raman spectroscopy, with appropriate optical modeling, is a powerful tool for depth-profiling SiC.
• Thermal annealing is an effective method for repairing proton implantation damage in SiC.
• The study provides insights into the behavior of ion-implanted SiC and its recovery.