Depth profile of trap concentration induced by heavy ion irradiation in 4H-SiC Schottky barrier diode

Abstract

Displacement damage in silicon carbide (SiC) power devices induced by heavy ions severely limited their application in aerospace engineering, and the investigation of defect distribution in devices has consistently been a critical research focus. In this work, the degradation of capacitance performance in a 4H-SiC Schottky barrier diode (SBD) irradiated by heavy ions was explored. The capacitance–voltage (C–V) characterization reveals an evident decrease in the local carrier concentration of 4H-SiC SBD following the irradiation with three types of heavy ions. Deep level transient spectroscopy shows three traps at 0.63, 0.57, and 0.38 eV below the conduction band in the epitaxial layer, respectively. The depth profile of trap concentration in the space charge region was used to explain the degradation of the local carriers. Our results build the relationship between carrier removal effect and trap concentration, providing insights into the underlying mechanisms of displacement damage effects in 4H-SiC devices.