Surface Morphology of 4H-SiC after Thermal Oxidation
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Author / Producer
Date
2019
Publication Type
Conference Paper
ETH Bibliography
yes
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Abstract
Step-controlled growth of 4H-SiC epitaxial layers leads to the formation of a step-bunched morphology along the surface with larger macrosteps, composed of smaller microsteps of several Si-C bilayer heights. As thermal oxidation is an orientation-dependent process, a multi-faceted surface is expected to exhibit a different oxidation behavior compared to a perfectly planar surface. In this work, step-bunched surfaces after oxidation are investigated by high-resolution atomic force microscopy (HR-AFM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) indicating a morphological change in the early stages of thermal oxidation. An orientation-dependent oxidation model is used to correctly describe variations of the oxide thicknesses at isolated macrosteps.
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Publication status
published
Editor
Book title
Journal / series
Volume
963
Pages / Article No.
180 - 183
Publisher
Trans Tech Publications
Event
12th European Conference on Silicon Carbide & Related Materials (ECSCRM 2018)
Edition / version
Methods
Software
Geographic location
Date collected
Date created
Subject
AFM; Interface; Macrosteps; Oxidation Rate; Surface Morphology; Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM)
Organisational unit
09480 - Grossner, Ulrike / Grossner, Ulrike