Optics and Precision Engineering, Volume. 32, Issue 19, 2889(2024)

Femtosecond laser annealing of 4H-SiC interfaces and optimization of their electrical performance

Yuqi REN1...3, Yunfan YUE1,3, Sheng LI1,4, Nianyao CHAI1,4, Xiangyu CHEN1,3, Zhongle ZENG1,4, Fengyi ZHAO2, Huan WANG1,3, and Xuewen WANG1,24 |Show fewer author(s)
Author Affiliations
  • 1Center of Femtosecond Laser Manufacturing for Advanced Materials and Devices, State Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology for Materials Synthesis and Processing, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan430070, China
  • 2Foshan Xianhu Laboratory, Foshan58000, China
  • 3School of Materials Science and Engineering, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan40070, China
  • 4International School of Materials Science and Engineering, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan30070, China
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    Enhancing the electrical contact properties between SiC and metal interfaces is crucial for advancing SiC materials in high-frequency and high-power devices. This study utilized a 1030 nm near-infrared femtosecond laser to anneal the 4H-SiC surface, analyzing the effects of various laser annealing parameters. We examined changes in surface morphology, element distribution, and bonding structure of the laser-annealed samples using scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, confocal Raman spectroscopy, and other methods. The study revealed that improvements in electrical properties at the contact interface result from a disordered graphite structure and SiOx/Si structure with oxygen vacancies created by laser annealing. This structure reduces the interface Schottky barrier height, enhances conductivity, and shifts the Fermi level of the 4H-SiC surface, significantly boosting interface electrical properties. Femtosecond laser annealing reduced the SiC interface Schottky barrier from 1.43 eV to 0.69 eV and increased the carrier concentration from 5.40×1013 cm-3 to 1.77×1018 cm-3, presenting a novel method for optimizing SiC interface electrical properties with ultrafast laser annealing.

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    Yuqi REN, Yunfan YUE, Sheng LI, Nianyao CHAI, Xiangyu CHEN, Zhongle ZENG, Fengyi ZHAO, Huan WANG, Xuewen WANG. Femtosecond laser annealing of 4H-SiC interfaces and optimization of their electrical performance[J]. Optics and Precision Engineering, 2024, 32(19): 2889

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    Paper Information

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    Received: Apr. 23, 2024

    Accepted: --

    Published Online: Jan. 9, 2025

    The Author Email:

    DOI:10.37188/OPE.20243219.2889

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