• PDF / 2,567,700 Bytes
• 27 Pages / 547.146 x 686 pts Page_size
• 90 Downloads / 279 Views

DOWNLOAD

REPORT

---

High-Temper 24. High-Temperature Electronic Materials: Silicon Carbide and Diamond

The physical and chemical properties of wideband-gap semiconductors make these materials an ideal choice for device fabrication for applications in many different areas, e.g. light emitters, high-temperature and high-power electronics, high-power microwave devices, micro-electromechanical system (MEM) technology, and substrates for semiconductor preparation. These semiconductors have been recognized for several decades as being suitable for these applications, but until recently the low material quality has not allowed the fabrication of high-quality devices. In this chapter, we review the wideband-gap semiconductors, silicon carbide and diamond. Silicon carbide electronics is advancing from the research stage to commercial production. The commercial availability of single-crystal SiC substrates during the early 1990s gave rise to intense activity in the development of silicon carbide devices. The commercialization started with the release of blue light-emitting diode (LED). The recent release of high-power Schottky diodes

Material Properties and Preparation ..... 540 24.1.1 Silicon Carbide .......................... 540 24.1.2 Diamond .................................. 544

24.2 Electronic Devices ................................ 547 24.2.1 Silicon Carbide .......................... 547 24.2.2 Diamond .................................. 551 24.3 Summary ............................................ 557 References .................................................. 558

was a further demonstration of the progress made towards defect-free SiC substrates. Diamond has superior physical and chemical properties. Silicon-carbide- and diamond-based electronics are at different stages of development. The preparation of high-quality single-crystal substrates of wafer size has allowed recent significant progress in the fabrication of several types of devices, and the development has reached many important milestones. However, high-temperature studies are still scarce, and diamond-based electronics is still in its infancy.

semiconductor research. The aim has been to investigate the high-temperature limits of materials and to enhance high-temperature semiconductor device performance. The development of semiconductor devices for reliable operation for an extended period at high temperatures is a complex process in which a number of physical effects connected with increasing temperature [24.1, 2] have to be considered. The term high temperature is not defined in a unique way in the literature and has a different meaning depending on the semiconductor under consideration and the area of application of semiconductor devices. The definition of high temperature often cited in the literature is temperatures above 125 ◦ C [24.2, 3], since 125 ◦ C is frequently specified as the upper limit at which standard commercial silicon devices function properly, although tests on standard commercial components indicate that even 150 ◦ C may be applicable for selec