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Applicability of a Flat-Bed Birefringence Setup for the Determination of Threading Dislocations of Silicon Carbide Wafers

Steiner J, Nguyen BD, Roder M, Danilewsky A, Sandfeld S, Wellmann P (2022)

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Publication Type: Conference contribution

Publication year: 2022

Journal

Publisher: Trans Tech Publications Ltd

Book Volume: 1062 MSF

Pages Range: 113-118

Conference Proceedings Title: Materials Science Forum

Event location: Online

ISBN: 9783035727609

DOI: 10.4028/p-y8n42h

Abstract

Screw-type dislocations like micropipes (MP) and threading screw dislocations (TSD) are prohibiting the function or at least diminishing the efficiency of electronic devices based on silicon carbide (SiC). Therefore, it is essential to characterize wafers in an efficient and fast manner. Molten potassium hydroxide (KOH) etching or white-beam X-ray topography (SWXRT) are either destructive in the case of KOH etching or not economically viable in the case of SWXRT for an in-depth characterization of every wafer of one SiC crystal. Birefringence microscopy is being utilized as a fast and non-destructive characterization method. Instead of microscopic setups, commercially available flat-bed scanners equipped with crossed polarizer foils can be used for fast large-area scans. This work investigates the feasibility of such a setup regarding the detection rate of MPs and TSDs. The results of a full-wafer mapping are compared with birefringence microscopy and KOH etching. In the investigated sample clusters of MPs caused by a polytype switch in the beginning of the growth could be identified by both birefringence microscopy and the flat-bed scanner setup, as well as small angle grain boundaries and threading edge dislocation (TED) arrays. However, the resolution of the scanner was not sufficient to identify TSDs. Nevertheless the setup proves to be an easy-to-setup and cheap characterization method, able to quickly identify defect clusters in 4H-SiC wafers.

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How to cite

APA:

Steiner, J., Nguyen, B.D., Roder, M., Danilewsky, A., Sandfeld, S., & Wellmann, P. (2022). Applicability of a Flat-Bed Birefringence Setup for the Determination of Threading Dislocations of Silicon Carbide Wafers. In Jean François Michaud, Luong Viet Phung, Daniel Alquier, Dominique Planson (Eds.), Materials Science Forum (pp. 113-118). Online: Trans Tech Publications Ltd.

MLA:

Steiner, Johannes, et al. "Applicability of a Flat-Bed Birefringence Setup for the Determination of Threading Dislocations of Silicon Carbide Wafers." Proceedings of the 13th European Conference on Silicon Carbide and Related Materials, ECSCRM 2021, Online Ed. Jean François Michaud, Luong Viet Phung, Daniel Alquier, Dominique Planson, Trans Tech Publications Ltd, 2022. 113-118.

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