The successful implementation of a phosphorous-based surface passivation treatment into an industrial 650 V 4H-SiC JBS fabrication process

A phosphorous pentoxide (P
2
O
5
) treatment was employed prior to metal deposition on 650 V 4H-silicon carbide (SiC) junction barrier Schottky (JBS) diodes in an attempt to condition the Schottky interface of the power devices. The Schottky barrier height (SBH) was consistently lowered to 1.01 eV in treated molybdenum Schottky barrier diodes (SBDs) when compared to untreated nickel, titanium and untreated molybdenum samples, whilst similar reasonable ideality factors were achieved across the entire dataset. When compared to untreated molybdenum JBS diodes, the P
2
O
5
treatment has improved the performance by lowering leakage current levels below 1×10–10 A.