Advances in Silicon Carbide Electronics
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Advances in Silicon
Carbide Electronics
J.C. Zolper and M. Skowronski, Guest Editors Abstract After substantial investment in research and development over the last decade, silicon carbide materials and devices are coming of age. The concerted efforts that made this possible have resulted in breakthroughs in our understanding of materials issues such as compensation mechanisms in high-purity crystals, dislocation properties, and the formation of SiC/SiO2 interfaces, as well as device design and processing. The progress accomplished over the last eight years in SiC-based electronic materials is summarized in this issue of MRS Bulletin. Keywords: silicon carbide, electronic materials, high-frequency power electronics, reliability.
Since the 1950s, we have been living in the “silicon world,” with silicon as the foundation of the electronics era. At the beginning of the 21st century, the electronics industry is still dominated by silicon and is likely to remain so for at least another decade. No other semiconducting material can compete with silicon in terms of low defect densities, long minority carrier lifetimes, perfection of the semiconductor/ dielectric interface, or doping control. Other materials—for example, GaAs and its alloys—only fill niche applications such as light-emission, where silicon is at a disadvantage due to its indirect bandgap. An indirect bandgap allows for the recombination of electrons and holes only with the participation of a phonon, a four-particle process that is inherently less likely than the three-particle process possible in a directbandgap semiconductor. This situation could soon change in highvoltage switching and high-frequency power devices. The new material that can replace well-established silicon is hexagonal silicon carbide, a related semiconductor, which is the focus of this issue of MRS Bulletin. SiC technology is clearly not nearly as mature as that of silicon, and it is still more expensive than silicon, but its inherently superior properties, such as high breakdown field and thermal conductivity, provide a strong driving force for its development and implementation. Materials advances have reduced defect densities and improved the interface properties of SiC, and improvements in design and processing
MRS BULLETIN • VOLUME 30 • APRIL 2005
are bringing it to the fore as a serious competitor in electronics applications. For more background on SiC technology, see the article by Dhar in this issue. Silicon carbide was also the theme of the March 1997 issue of MRS Bulletin, eight years ago. At that time, the only commercially available SiC products were conducting wafers (with diameters of up to 1 3/8 in.) and blue light-emitting diodes (LEDs). These were, however, the last days of SiCbased LEDs. They were replaced by more efficient devices based on direct-bandgap GaN and other Group III nitrides. Surprisingly, however, the explosive growth of the nitride LED market and full-color displays had a positive impact on the development of silicon carbide technology. Single-crysta
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