Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 18, 2025
08:48
Selective Area Modification of Silicon Surface Wettability by Pulsed UV Laser Irradiation in Liquid Environment
Published on: November 9, 2015
8.3K
Laser-Induced Liquid-Phase Boron Doping of 4H-SiC
Gunjan Kulkarni1,2, Yahya Bougdid2,3, Chandraika John Sugrim1,4
1Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL 32816, USA.
Materials (Basel, Switzerland)
|June 27, 2025
Summary
Laser doping successfully incorporated boron into 4H-silicon carbide (4H-SiC), enabling mid-infrared optical modulation. This technique preserves crystal integrity and creates functional devices with high breakdown voltage.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science and Engineering
- Semiconductor Physics
- Optoelectronics
Background:
- 4H-silicon carbide (4H-SiC) is crucial for advanced devices due to its excellent properties.
- Effective doping of 4H-SiC is challenging due to chemical inertness and low dopant diffusion.
- Novel doping methods are needed to overcome these limitations for device fabrication.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate a laser-assisted boron doping technique for n-type 4H-SiC.
- To investigate the impact of laser doping on the optical properties in the MIDIR spectrum.
- To fabricate and characterize a functional p-n junction diode using the developed method.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a pulsed Nd:YAG laser with a liquid-phase boron precursor for doping 4H-SiC.
- Employed a heat-transfer model to optimize laser process parameters.
- Measured optical constants (refractive index 'n' and attenuation index 'k') using Fourier-transform infrared spectrometry and advanced absorption models.
Main Results:
- Achieved boron incorporation creating an acceptor level at 0.29 eV, modulating optical response at 4.3 µm.
- Observed a significant reduction in refractive index from 2.857 to 2.485 at 4.3 µm post-doping.
- Confirmed crystalline integrity (Raman spectroscopy), peak boron concentration (1.29 × 1019 cm-3), and junction depth (450 nm). Fabricated diode showed a 1668 V breakdown voltage.
Conclusions:
- Laser-assisted boron doping is an effective method for modifying optical properties of 4H-SiC in the MIDIR spectrum.
- The technique enables the fabrication of functional optoelectronic devices with high performance.
- This approach provides a versatile platform for infrared materials engineering and advanced device development.
