Journal of Synthetic Crystals, Volume. 53, Issue 10, 1745(2024)

Characterization of Micro-Scratches on 4H-SiC Substrates by KCl Solution Crystallization-Assisted Method

ZHANG Chitengfei1... ZHANG Song2, GONG Ruocheng3, YANG Junwei3,4, and SONG Huaping34,* |Show fewer author(s)
Author Affiliations
  • 1Hubei Longzhong Laboratory, Xiangyang 441000, China
  • 2State Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology for Materials Synthesis and Processing, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070, China
  • 3Songshan Lake Materials Laboratory, Dongguan 523808, China
  • 4PowerEpi Semiconductor Co., Ltd., Dongguan 523786, China
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    Micro-scratches on 4H-SiC wafers can transform into dislocations, stacking fault and other type of defects during homoepitaxial process, leading to reduce yield of epitaxial wafers. These micro-scratches are challenging to detect using non-destructive optical characterization methods due to their ultra-thin line width, which is beyond the resolution of current optical technology. A novel method has been developed to reveal these micro-scratches, which are typically invisible under optical microscopy, on SiC wafers after chemo-mechanical polishing (CMP) treatment. This method is based on the classical nucleation theory, and KCl crystals preferentially nucleate on high-index crystallographic facets with high surface energy during the KCl solution drying process. The experimental results show that the KCl crystals could embed in the ravines of the micro-scratches at a KCl solution concentration of 0.013 mol/L, allowing for their indirect detection by optical microscopy. When the concentration of KCl solution is greater than 0.013 mol/L, lots of KCl crystals crystallize on the areas without micro-scratches and interfere with the characterization of micro-scratches. KCl crystals formed by this method can be removed from the surface through the RCA cleaning process without impacting the subsequent wafer processing, because they are adsorbed and nucleated on the surface of 4H-SiC without undergoing any chemical reaction with SiC substrates.

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    ZHANG Chitengfei, ZHANG Song, GONG Ruocheng, YANG Junwei, SONG Huaping. Characterization of Micro-Scratches on 4H-SiC Substrates by KCl Solution Crystallization-Assisted Method[J]. Journal of Synthetic Crystals, 2024, 53(10): 1745

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    Paper Information

    Category:

    Received: May. 28, 2024

    Accepted: Jan. 17, 2025

    Published Online: Jan. 17, 2025

    The Author Email: SONG Huaping (songhp211@163.com)

    DOI:

    CSTR:32186.14.

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