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Review
. 2022 Mar 4;17(1):30.
doi: 10.1186/s11671-022-03672-w.

Defect Inspection Techniques in SiC

Po-Chih Chen #  1 , Wen-Chien Miao #  2   3 , Tanveer Ahmed  1 , Yi-Yu Pan  1 , Chun-Liang Lin  3 , Shih-Chen Chen  4 , Hao-Chung Kuo  5   6 , Bing-Yue Tsui  1 , Der-Hsien Lien  7
Affiliations
Review

Defect Inspection Techniques in SiC

Po-Chih Chen et al. Nanoscale Res Lett. .

Abstract

With the increasing demand of silicon carbide (SiC) power devices that outperform the silicon-based devices, high cost and low yield of SiC manufacturing process are the most urgent issues yet to be solved. It has been shown that the performance of SiC devices is largely influenced by the presence of so-called killer defects, formed during the process of crystal growth. In parallel to the improvement of the growth techniques for reducing defect density, a post-growth inspection technique capable of identifying and locating defects has become a crucial necessity of the manufacturing process. In this review article, we provide an outlook on SiC defect inspection technologies and the impact of defects on SiC devices. This review also discusses the potential solutions to improve the existing inspection technologies and approaches to reduce the defect density, which are beneficial to mass production of high-quality SiC devices.

Keywords: Defect inspection technology; Killer defect; SiC.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Schematic diagram of SiC growth process and various kind of defects caused by each step
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Available defect inspection technologies for SiC
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Various kind of defects appearing in SiC wafers. a Schematic cross-sectional view of SiC defects and image of b TEDs and TSDs [15], c BPDs [15], d Micropipes [16], e SFs [15], f carrot defects [16], g polytype inclusions [15], h Scratches [17]
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Different defect inspection methods and obtained images of defects. a TEM and HAADF image of SF [43]. bOptical micrograph image after KOH etching [45]. c PL spectrum with and without SF while the inset shows the monochromatic micro-PL mapping at a wavelength of 480 nm. [46]. d A real-color CL SEM image of SF at room temperature [47]. e Raman spectrum of various defects [48]. f Micro-Raman intensity map of the 204 cm−1 peak of a micropipe-related defect [49]
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
The impact of defects on different devices
Fig. 6
Fig. 6
Defect detection and device performance estimation assisted by AI
Fig. 7
Fig. 7
Method of using laser to reduce defects in the manufacturing process
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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