LAUSR

In high-volume manufacturing of SiC power devices like Schottky barrier diodes and MOSFETs, especially with the high demands of high reliability applications like the automotive market, the issue of reliability needs to be tackled from multiple angles. It becomes important to isolate and eliminate failure mechanisms at the source rather than just rely on electrical tests. As we enter volume production on 150-mm substrates, an added layer of reliability and improved yield can be added if potential sources of defects are identified and removed. In this work, we present the non-destructive detection of a subset of screw dislocations in N+ doped substrates, trace the preferential nucleation of V-type epitaxial defects and stacking faults from these screw dislocations, and study their electrical effects on Schottky diodes. This enables the screening of highly defective substrates even before committing them to epitaxial growth.