Skip to main content
Log in

Progress in silicon carbide semiconductor electronics technology

  • Published:
Journal of Electronic Materials Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Silicon carbide’s demonstrated ability to function under extreme high-temperature, high-power, and/or high-radiation conditions is expected to enable significant enhancements to a far-ranging variety of applications and systems. However, improvements in crystal growth and device fabrication processes are needed before SiC-based devices and circuits can be scaled-up and incorporated into electronic systems. This paper surveys the present status of SiC-based semiconductor electronics and identifies areas where technological maturation is needed. The prospects for resolving these obstacles are discussed. Recent achievements include the monolithic realization of SiC integrated circuit operational amplifiers and digital logic circuits, as well as significant improvements to epitaxial and bulk crystal growth processes that impact the viability of this rapidly emerging technology.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. N.G. Hingorani and K.E. Stahlkopf,Sci. American 269, 78 (1993).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. M. Bhatnagar and B. J. Baliga,IEEE Trans. Electron Dev. 40, 645 (1993).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. B.J. Baliga,Proc. IEEE, 82, 1112 (1994).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. R.J. Trew, J.-B. Yan and P. M. Mock,Proc. IEEE 79, 598 (1991).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. W.C. Nieberding and J.A. Powell,IEEE Trans, on Industrial Electronics 29, 103 (1982).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. S. J. Przybylko, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astro- nautics Report AIAA 93-2581, Washington, DC (1993).

  7. W. von Munch,Physik der ElemetederlV, Gruppe und der III- Werbindungen, (Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer-Verlag, 1982), p. 132.

    Google Scholar 

  8. J.A. Powell, P. Pirouz and W.J. Choyke,Semiconductor Interfaces, Microstructures, and Devices: Properties and Ap- plications, (Bristol, United Kingdom: Institute of Physics Publishing, 1993), p. 257.

    Google Scholar 

  9. S.M. Sze,Physics of Semiconductor Devices, 2nd Edition ed. (New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1981).

    Google Scholar 

  10. Cree Research, Inc., 2810 Meridian Parkway, Suite 176, Durham, NC 27713.

  11. W.J. Schaffer, G.H. Negley, K.G. Irvine and J.W. Palmour, to appear inDiamond, SiC, and Nitride Wide-Bandgap Semi- conductors, Vol. 339, (Pittsburgh, PA: Materials Research Society, 1994).

    Google Scholar 

  12. J.A. Edmond, D.G. Waltz, S. Brueckner, H.-S. Kong, J.W. Palmour and C.H. Carter Jr.,Trans. 1st Intl. High Tempera- ture Electronics Conf, Albuquerque, NM, (1991), p. 207.

  13. J.W. Palmour, V.F. Tsvetkov, L.A. Lipkin and C.H. Carter Jr., to appear inProc. 21st Intl. Symp. Compound Semicon- ductors, (Bristol, United Kingdom: IOP Publishing, 1995).

    Google Scholar 

  14. P.G. Neudeck, D.J. Larkin, J.E. Starr, J.A. Powell, C.S. Salupo and L.G. Matus,IEEE Trans. Electron Dev. 41, 826 (1994).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. P.G. Neudeck, D.J. Larkin, J.E. Starr, J.A. Powell, C.S. Salupo and L.G. Matus,IEEE Electron Device Lett. 14, 136 (1993).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Y.M. Tairov and V.F. Tsvetkov,J. Cryst. Growth 43, 209 (1978).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. R.F. Davis, C.H. Carter, Jr. and C.E. Hunter, U.S. Patent 4,866,005, (1989).

  18. D.L. Barrett, R.G. Scidensticker, W. Gaida, R.H. Hopkins and W.J. Choyke,J. Cryst. Growth, 109, 17 (1991).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Westinghouse Science & Technology Center, 1310 Beulah Rd., Pittsburgh, PA 15235.

  20. Advanced Technology Materials, Inc., 7 Commerce Drive, Danbury, CT 06810.

  21. CD. Brandt, A.K. Agarwal, G. Augustine, A.A. Burk, R.C. Clarke, R.C. Glass, H.M. Hobgood, J.P. McHugh, P.G. McMullin, R.R. Siegiej, T.J. Smith, S. Sriram, M.C. Driver and R.H. Hopkins, to appear inProc. 21st Intl. Symp. Com- pound Semiconductors, (Bristol, United Kingdom: IOP Pub- lishing, 1995).

    Google Scholar 

  22. G.A. Lomakina,Silicon Carbide-1973, (Columbia, SC: Uni- versity of South Carolina Press, 1973), p. 520.

    Google Scholar 

  23. J.A. Powell, J.B. Petit and L.G. Matus,Trans. 1st Int. High Temperature Electronics Conf., Albuquerque, NM, (1991), p. 192.

  24. H. Matsunami, K. Shibahara, N. Kuroda, W. Yoo and S. Nishino,Amorphous and Crvstalline Silicon Carbide, Springer Proc. in Physics, Vol. 34, (Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer- Verlag, 1989), p. 34.

    Google Scholar 

  25. H.S. Kong, J.T. Glass and R.F. Davis,J. Appl. Phys. 64,2672 (1988).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. D. J. Larkin, P.G. Neudeck, J.A. Powell and L.G. Matus,Appl. Phys. Lett. 65, 1659 (1994).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. D.J. Larkin, P.G. Neudeck, J.A. Powell and L.G. Matus,Silicon Carbide and Related Materials: Proc. Fifth Intl. Conf., Institute of Physics Conf. Series, No. 137, (Bristol, United Kingdom: IOP Publishing, 1994), p. 51.

    Google Scholar 

  28. P.G. Neudeck, D.J. Larkin, J.A. Powell, L.G. Matus and O.S. Salupo,Appl. Phys. Lett. 64, 1386 (1994).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. O. Kordina, C. Hallin, R.C. Glass and E. Janzen,Silicon Carbide and Related Materials: Proc. Fifth Intl. Conf., Institute of Physics Conf. Series, No. 137, (Bristol, United Kingdom: IOP Publishing, 1994), p. 41.

    Google Scholar 

  30. O. Kordina, J.P. Bergman, A. Henry, E. Janzen, S. Savage, J. Andre, L.P. Ramberg, U. Lindefelt, W. Hermansson and K. Bergman, submitted toAppl. Phys. Lett. (1994).

  31. J.A. Powell, D.J. Larkin and P.B. Abel,J. Electron. Mater. 24, 295(1995).

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  32. R.F. Davis, G. Keiner, M. Shur, J.W. Palmour and J.A. Edmond,Proc. IEEE, 79, 677 (1991).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  33. M.G. Spencer, R.P. Devaty, J.A. Edmond, M.A. Khan, R. Kaplan and M. Rahman,Silicon Carbide and Related Mate- rials: Proc. Fifth Intl. Conf., Institute of Physics Conf. Series, No. 137, Ch. 6, (Bristol, United Kingdom: IOP Publishing, (1994), p. 465.

    Google Scholar 

  34. D.B. King and F.V. Thome,Trans. 2nd. Intl. High Tempera- ture Electronics Conf., Charlotte, NC, Sessions X and XI, (1994), p. X–l.

  35. S. Sriram, R.C. Clarke, M.H. Hanes, P.G. McMullin, CD. Brandt, T.J. Smith, A.A. Burk Jr., H. M. Hobgood, D.L. Barrett and R.H. Hopkins,Silicon Carbide and Related Materials: Proc. Fifth Intl. Conf.,Institute of Physics Conf. Series, No. 137, (Bristol, United Kingdom: IOP Publishing, (1994), p. 491.

    Google Scholar 

  36. C.E. Weitzel, J.W. Palmour, K. Moore, C.H. Carter, Jr. and K.J. Nordquist, to appear inProc. 21st Int. Symp. Compound Semiconductors, (Bristol, United Kingdom: IOP Publishing, 1995).

    Google Scholar 

  37. S. Sriram, R.C. Clarke, A.A. Burk Jr., H.M. Hobgood, P.G. McMullin, P.A. Orphanos, R.R. Siergiej, T.J. Smith, CD. Brandt, M.C. Driver and R.H. Hopkins,52nd Annual IEEE Device Research Conf., Boulder, CO (1994).

  38. T. Kimoto, A. Itoh, T. Urushidani, S. Jang and H. Matsunami, to appear inProc. 21st Intl. Symp. Compound Semiconduc- tors, (Bristol, United Kingdom: IOP Publishing, 1995).

    Google Scholar 

  39. P.G. Neudeck, J.B. Petit and C.S. Salupo,Trans. 2nd. Int. High Temperature Electronic Conf., Charlotte, NC, (1994), p. X–23.

  40. J. Crofton, J.R. Williams, M.J. Bozack and P.A. Barnes,Silicon Carbide and Related Materials: Proc. Fifth Intl. Conf., Institute of Physics Conf. Series, No. 137, (Bristol, United Kingdom: IOP Publishing, 1994), p. 719.

    Google Scholar 

  41. D.M. Brown, M. Ghezzo, J. Kretchmer, E. Downey, J. Edmond, J. Palmour, CH. Carter Jr., G. Gati, S. Dasgupta, J. Pimbley and P. Chow,Proc. Government Microcircuit Applications Conf., Orlando, FL, (1991), p. 89.

  42. D.M. Brown, M. Ghezzo, J. Kretchmer, E. Downey, J. Pimbley and J. Palmour,IEEE Trans. Electron Dev. 41, 618 (1994).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  43. S.T. Sheppard, M.R. Melloch and J.A. Cooper, Jr.,IEEE Trans. Electron Dev. 41, 1257 (1994).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  44. J.N. Shenoy, L.A. Lipkin, G.L. Chindalore, J. Pan, J.A.c Cooper Jr., J.W. Palmour and M.R. Melloch, to appear inProc. 21st Int. Symp. Compound Semiconductors, (Bristol, United Kingdom: IOP Publishing, 1995).

    Google Scholar 

  45. D.M. Brown, M. Ghezzo, J. Kretchmer, V. Krishnamurthy, G. Michon and G. Gati,Trans. 2nd. Intl. High Temperature Electronics Conf., Charlotte, NC, (1994), p. XI–17.

  46. J.A. Powell, D.J. Larkin, P.G. Neudeck, J.W. Yang and P. Pirouz,Silicon Carbide and Related Materials: Proc. Fifth Intl. Conf., Institute of Physics Conf. Series, No. 137, (Bristol, United Kingdom: IOP Publishing, 1994), p. 161.

    Google Scholar 

  47. P.G. Neuaeck and J.A. Powell,IEEE Electron Device Lett. 15, 63(1994).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  48. C. Fazi, M. Dudley, S. Wang and M. Ghezzo,Silicon Carbide and Related Materials: Proc. Fifth Intl. Conf., Institute of Physics Conf. Series, No. 137, (Bristol, United Kingdom: IOP Publishing, Bristol, 1994), p. 487.

    Google Scholar 

  49. S. Wang, M. Dudley, C. Carter Jr., D. Asbury and C. Fazi,Applications of Synchrotron Radiation Techniques to Materi- als Science, Vol. 307, (Pittsburgh, PA: Materials Research Society, 1993), p. 249.

    Google Scholar 

  50. R.A. Stein,Physica B 185, 211 (1993).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  51. J.-W. Yang, Ph. D. thesis, Case Western Reserve University, 1993.

  52. V. Krishnamurthy, D.M. Brown, M. Ghezzo, J. Kretchmer, W. Hennessy, E. Downey and G. Michon,Silicon Carbide and Related Materials: Proc. Fifth Intl. Conf., Institute of Physics Conf. Series, No. 137, (Bristol, United Kingdom: IOP Pub- lishing, 1994), p. 483.

    Google Scholar 

  53. J.A. Cooper, Jr. and M.R. Melloch, presented at WOCSEMMAD Conf., San Francisco, CA (1994).

  54. W. Xie, J. Pan, J.A. Cooper, and M.R. Melloch, to appear inProc. 21st Int. Symp. Compound Semiconductors, (Bristol, United Kingdom: IOP Publishing, 1995).

    Google Scholar 

  55. W. Xie, G.M. Johnson, Y. Yang, J.A. Cooper Jr., J. W. Palmour, L.A. Lipkin, M.R. Melloch and C.H. Carter Jr., to appear inProc. 21st Int. Symp. Compound Semiconductors, (Bristol, United Kingdom: IOP Publishing, 1995).

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Neudeck, P.G. Progress in silicon carbide semiconductor electronics technology. J. Electron. Mater. 24, 283–288 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02659688

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02659688

Key words

Navigation