Thermal stability of deep levels between room temperature and 1500 degrees C in as-grown 3C-SiC

Abstract

We report on the thermal stability of deep levels detected in as-grown bulk 3C-SiC. The investigation was performed by Fourier-transform deep level transient spectroscopy and an isochronal annealing series was carried out in the 100–1500 °C temperature range. We found three traps located between 0.14–0.50 eV below the conduction band edge minimum (EC). The shallower trap anneals out at temperatures below 1200 °C while the others display a high thermal stability up to at least 1500 °C. The nature of the former trap is discussed in detail on the basis of its annealing behavior and previous theoretical data found in the literature.