New defect engineering; challenge for zero twin defect 3C-SiC

• Project/Area Number: 18K18934
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Research (Exploratory)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Medium-sized Section 26:Materials engineering and related fields
• Research Institution: Tohoku University
• Principal Investigator: Kawanishi Sakiko 東北大学, 多元物質科学研究所, 助教 (80726985)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-06-29 – 2021-03-31
• Project Status: Completed (Fiscal Year 2020)
• Budget Amount: ¥6,240,000 (Direct Cost: ¥4,800,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,440,000); Fiscal Year 2020: ¥1,430,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,100,000、Indirect Cost: ¥330,000); Fiscal Year 2019: ¥2,210,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,700,000、Indirect Cost: ¥510,000); Fiscal Year 2018: ¥2,600,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,000,000、Indirect Cost: ¥600,000)
• Keywords: シリコンカーバイド / 溶液成長 / 核生成 / 欠陥 / 半導体 / 炭化ケイ素 / SiC / DPB / らせん転位

Outline of Final Research Achievements

To realize high-quality 3C-SiC, we developed a new interface control method using the solution growth. The new method consists of the following two processes; (1) fabrication of a periodic step structure consisting of 6 bi-layers of Si-C pair by utilizing the crystal defects inherent in 6H-SiC seed crystal, and (2) nucleation and growth of 3C-SiC on the step structure. We clarified that the obtained 3C-SiC on the seed 6H-SiC (0001) plane exhibits the same stacking structure, which enables to grow the high-quality 3C-SiC from the start of the growth.

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

省エネパワー半導体材料である3C-SiCは高いチャネル移動度を実現できるため、低損失の中耐圧MOSFETとしての応用が期待されるが、高品質化が有望視される溶液成長では、デバイスキラー欠陥が容易に形成される。本研究では、種結晶に用いる6H-SiC中の結晶欠陥を利用し、高品質な3C-SiCを育成する新たな界面制御法を提案した。結晶欠陥を積極的に活用して結晶の高品質化を達成する手法として、今後の大面積化や他の結晶材料への応用が期待される。

Research Products

• [Int'l Joint Research] Stony Brook University(米国)
• [Journal Article] Nucleation Control of 3C-SiC Induced by the Spiral Structure of 6H-SiC (2020)
  • Author(s): Kawanishi Sakiko、Watanabe Ryo、Shibata Hiroyuki
  • Journal Title: Crystal Growth & Design Volume: 20 Issue: 7 Pages: 4740-4748
  • DOI: 10.1021/acs.cgd.0c00498
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Journal Article] Availability of Cr-rich Cr-Si solvent for rapid solution growth of 4H-SiC (2020)
  • Author(s): Kawanishi Sakiko、Nagamatsu Yoichiro、Yoshikawa Takeshi、Shibata Hiroyuki
  • Journal Title: Journal of Crystal Growth Volume: 549 Pages: 125877-125877
  • DOI: 10.1016/j.jcrysgro.2020.125877
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Journal Article] Measurement of thermophysical properties of molten Si-Cr and Si-Fe alloys for design of solution growth of SiC (2020)
  • Author(s): S. Kawanishi, M. Abe, C. Koyama, T. Ishikawa, H. Shibata
  • Journal Title: Journal of Crystal Growth Volume: 541 Pages: 125658-125658
  • DOI: 10.1016/j.jcrysgro.2020.125658
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Presentation] 高温固液界面の3次元形状解析による融体中微量溶解度の測定 (2021)
  • Author(s): 川西咲子, 吉川健, Didier Chaussende, 柴田浩幸
  • Organizer: 日本金属学会, 2021年春期 第168回講演大会
• [Presentation] SiCポリタイプのその場判別に向けたバンドギャップの温度特性評価 (2020)
  • Author(s): 山田智大, 川西咲子, 柴田浩幸
  • Organizer: 日本金属学会, 2020年秋期(第167回)講演大会
• [Presentation] 6H-SiC の周期ステップ構造を利用した3C-SiC の核生成制御 (2020)
  • Author(s): 川西咲子, 渡邉遼, 柴田浩幸
  • Organizer: 日本金属学会, 2020年春期(第166回)講演大会
• [Presentation] Solution growth of SiC crystals: in-situ observation of competition of domains (2020)
  • Author(s): Sakiko Kawanishi
  • Organizer: Workshop on Innovative Metallurgical Processes for Advanced Materials 3
  • Int'l Joint Research
• [Presentation] New Methodologies to Evaluate the Step-bunching of 4H-SiC in Different Alloy Solvents (2019)
  • Author(s): Yuchuang Yao, Sakiko Kawanishi, Didier Chaussende, Takumi Horiike and Takeshi Yoshikawa
  • Organizer: International Conference on Silicon Carbide and Related Materials 2019
  • Int'l Joint Research
• [Presentation] Cr-Si合金を用いたSiC溶液成長時の結晶中窒素濃度 (2019)
  • Author(s): 八野田将吾, 川西咲子, 柴田浩幸
  • Organizer: 日本金属学会, 2019年秋期(第165回)講演大会
• [Presentation] An approach for solubility measurement of SiC in molten silicon and its alloy by real-time interference observation (2019)
  • Author(s): Sakiko Kawanishi, Takeshi Yoshikawa, Didier Chaussende and Hiroyuki Shibata
  • Organizer: TMS2019 148th Annual Meeting and Exhibition
  • Int'l Joint Research / Invited
• [Presentation] Melt properties of Si-40 mol% Cr solvent and their influence to temperature and flow control in the SiC solution growth (2018)
  • Author(s): Sakiko Kawanishi, Hironori Daikoku, Takehiko Ishikawa, Mai Abe, Hiroyuki Shibata and Takeshi Yoshikawa
  • Organizer: European Conference on Silicon Carbide and Related Materials 2018
  • Int'l Joint Research
• [Presentation] 溶媒移動法における物質移動現象を利用した1600-2000℃での諸物性値の評価 (2018)
  • Author(s): 川西咲子, 柴田浩幸, 吉川健
  • Organizer: 日本金属学会, 2018年秋季(第163回)講演大会