Bulk crystal growth, epitaxy, and defect reduction in silicon carbide materials for microwave and power devices

We discuss continuing materials technology improvements that have transformed silicon carbide from an intriguing laboratory material into a premier manufacturable semiconductor technology This advancement is demonstrated by reduced micropipe densities as low as 0.22 cm(-2) on 3-in.-diameter conductive wafers and 16 cm(-2) on 100-mm-diameter conductive wafers. For high-purity semi-insulating materials, we confirm that the carbon vacancy is the dominant deep-level trapping state, and we report very consistent cross-wafer activation energies derived from temperature-dependent resistivity. Warm-wall and hot-wall SiC epitaxy platforms are discussed in terms of capability and applications. Specific procedures that essentially eliminate forward-voltage drift in bipolar SiC devices are presented in detail.