Investigation of Al- and N-implanted 4H–SiC applying visible and deep UV Raman scattering spectroscopy

Abstract

Effects of aluminum (Al) and nitrogen (N) implantation performed at room and at elevated (500 °C) temperatures on epitaxial n-type 4H polytype silicon carbide as well as post-implantation annealing have been studied by Raman scattering spectroscopy. The amorphization of 4H–SiC is observed because of ion implantation effects. The Raman analysis showed that the recovery of the crystallinity increased with an increase in the annealing temperature. However, for samples implanted with high doses, the full crystal recovery was not complete even with annealing temperatures up to 1800 °C, and crystal defects were still present in the recrystallized layer, which was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy. Raman scattering spectra were collected at room temperature using a micro-Raman spectrometer. The visible (488 nm) and deep ultraviolet (266 nm) lasers were used as excitation sources. For the DUV laser, the optical penetration depth is less than the implanted layer thickness, and the area near the surface layer can be exactly probed. In contrast, the visible Raman spectrum shows bands characteristic of bulk 4H–SiC, which arise from the underlying non-implanted region. Based on the analysis of the longitudinal optical phonon–plasmon coupled mode, the electrical parameters for N2+ implanted samples were evaluated, where electron concentration n = 3.05 × 1018 cm−3 and mobility μ = 50 cm2/V s, respectively. The results are consistent with the parameters measured by the Hall method.