Pei, Yicheng; Yuan, Weilong; Li, Yunkai; Guo, Ning; Zhang, Xiuhai; Liu, Xingfang Source: Micromachines, v 15, n 6, June 2024; E-ISSN: 2072666X; DOI: 10.3390/mi15060665; Article number: 665; Publisher: Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI)

Author affiliation:

Key Laboratory of Semiconductor Materials Science, Institute of Semiconductors, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing; 100083, China

School of Resources, Environment and Materials, Guangxi University, Nanning; 530004, China

College of Materials Science and Opto-Electronic Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing; 100049, China

Beijing Key Laboratory of Low Dimensional Semiconductor Materials and Devices, Beijing; 100083, China

Abstract:

To address surface morphological defects that have a destructive effect on the epitaxial wafer from the aspect of 4H-SiC epitaxial growth, this study thoroughly examined many key factors that affect the density of defects in 4H-SiC epitaxial wafer, including the ratio of carbon to silicon, growth time, application of a buffer layer, hydrogen etching and other process parameters. Through systematic experimental verification and data analysis, it was verified that when the carbon–silicon ratio was accurately controlled at 0.72, the density of defects in the epitaxial wafer was the lowest, and its surface flatness showed the best state. In addition, it was found that the growth of the buffer layer under specific conditions could effectively reduce defects, especially surface morphology defects. This provides a new idea and method for improving the surface quality of epitaxial wafers. At the same time, we also studied the influence of hydrogen etching on the quality of epitaxial wafers. The experimental results show that proper hydrogen etching can optimize surface quality, but excessive etching may lead to the exposure of substrate defects. Therefore, it is necessary to carefully control the conditions of hydrogen etching in practical applications to avoid adverse effects. These findings have important guiding significance for optimizing the quality of epitaxial wafers.