Title of Paper:Effect of Au/Ni/4H-SiC Schottky junction thermal stability on performance of alpha particle detection

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Date of Publication:2018-08-01

Journal:CHINESE PHYSICS B

Included Journals:SCIE

Volume:27

Issue:8

ISSN No.:1674-1056

Key Words:alpha particle detector; silicon carbide; thermal stability; Schottky barrier

Abstract:Au/Ni/n-type 4H-SiC Schottky alpha particle detectors are fabricated and annealed at temperatures between 400 degrees C and 700 degrees C to investigate the effects of thermal stability of the Schottky contact on the structural and electrical properties of the detectors. At the annealing temperature of 500 degrees C, the two nickel silicides (i.e., Ni31Si12 and Ni2Si) are formed at the interface and result in the formation of an inhomogeneous Schottky barrier. By increasing the annealing temperature, the Ni31Si12 transforms into the more stable Ni2Si. The structural evolution of the Schottky contact directly affects the electrical properties and alpha particle energy resolutions of the detectors. A better energy resolution of 2.60% is obtained for 5.48-MeV alpha particles with the detector after being annealed at 600 degrees C. As a result, the Au/Ni/n-type 4H-SiC Schottky detector shows a good performance after thermal treatment at temperatures up to 700 degrees C.