This work describes the characterization of defect centers in 3C–SiC, 4H–SiC, and 6H–SiC. The different SiC crystal structures are examined with electron paramagnetic resonance after thermal oxidation, and after dry (<1 ppm H2O) N2 or O2 heat treatment. The centers are described by g values that range from 2.0025 to 2.0029, which are typical of C dangling bonds. Because the centers are activated in ambients that eliminate H2O and are passivated in ambients that contain H2O, it is suggested that the centers are C dangling bonds created during the dry heat treatment when hydrogen or a hydrogenous species releases from C bonds. The activation characteristics for the centers is the same for both 6H and 3C polytypes; however, centers in the 6H–SiC samples are passivated at lower temperatures than the centers in the 3C–SiC samples. The passivation behavior is attributed to differences in the hydrogen diffusion rates in these materials rather than significant differences in the chemistry of the centers. Etching studies conducted with hydrofluoric acid indicate that the centers are not located in the SiO2, but are located in the SiC at a distance of, at most, 200 nm from the SiO2/SiC interface.

We have studied the photoluminescence ͑PL͒ mechanism of photo-and electroluminescent amorphous silicon oxynitride films grown by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition. The composition of the films was determined by Rutherford backscattering spectrometry and monitored by the index of refraction with single-wavelength ellipsometry. Two sets of samples were grown, each with different reactant gas residence times in the deposition chamber. For samples grown with a residence time of about 5 s, the energy of the PL peak for 2.54 eV excitation is 2.3 eV for stoichiometric films and redshifts with increasing silicon content to 1.7 eV for the most silicon-rich films. The energy of the PL peak for 3.8 eV excitation is 2.8 eV for stoichiometric films and 2.1 eV for the most silicon-rich films. For stoichiometric films, the PL intensity is independent of temperature between 80 and 300 K using 2.54 eV excitation, but the PL intensity decreases by a factor of two over the same temperature range for 3.8 eV excitation. The authors interpret these aspects of the PL as consistent with tail-state recombination. Other results imply the PL is due to a specific luminescence center related to Si-Si or Si-H bonding. A 450 °C anneal reduces the paramagnetic defect density in the films, as detected by electron paramagnetic resonance, by an order of magnitude, but does not increase the PL intensity, while a 950 °C anneal increases both the defect density and the PL intensity. In addition, films in a second set of samples, grown with a residence time of 1.8 s, display very different PL behavior than samples in the first set with the same composition. Samples near stoichiometry in the second set have a PL peak at 2.06 eV and are 20 times less intense than stoichiometric samples in the first set. Optical absorption measurements indicate both types of samples contain Si-Si bonds, with the second set containing many more Si-Si bonds than the first. Fourier-transform infrared measurements indicate the presence of a Si-H bond that is stable at temperatures of 950 °C in the first set, but not in the second set. Thus, the study as a whole suggests a complete picture of luminescence in our silicon oxynitride films must incorporate elements of both tail-state and luminescence center models. The relation of the results to other PL studies in silicon alloys and porous silicon is discussed.

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While SiC devices are an attractive alternative to Si in high power applications, interface trap densities measured in SiC-based MOSFETs are significantly larger than in Si-based ones. Here, we study SiC MOSFETs using both spatial images and spectral analysis of light emission due to electron-hole recombination. The light emission is produced by alternately driving the channel between accumulation and inversion using what is essentially a charge-pumping set-up. Emission is due to interface trap and bulk electron-hole recombination. The spatial imaging studies suggest that recombination occurs at both interface traps and bulk defects. Spectral studies of the emission indicate the presence of a narrow band centered at 425 nm and a broad band extending from approximately 500 to 800nm. The former we suggest is due to bulk recombination and the latter to interface trap recombination. The spectral studies of the 500 to 800 nm band are timed to separate light emitted during the inversion-to-accumulation transition from that emitted during the accumulation-to-inversion transition and visa versa. Comparisons of the emission spectra collected during these specific periods are consistent with a larger Dit in the upper half of the bandgap than the lower half in both 4H and 6H devices.