Density functional theory calculations for investigation of atomic structures of 4H-SiC/SiO$_2$ interface after NO annealing

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Main Authors: Komatsu, Naoki, Ohmoto, Mizuho, Uemoto, Mitsuharu, Ono, Tomoya
Format: Preprint
Published: 2022
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author Komatsu, Naoki
Ohmoto, Mizuho
Uemoto, Mitsuharu
Ono, Tomoya
author_facet Komatsu, Naoki
Ohmoto, Mizuho
Uemoto, Mitsuharu
Ono, Tomoya
contents We propose the atomic structures of the 4H-SiC/SiO$_2$ interface for the $a$, $m$, C, and Si faces after NO annealing. Our proposed structures preferentially form at the topmost layers of the SiC side of the interface, which agrees with the experimental finding of secondary-ion mass spectrometry, that is, the N atoms accumulate at the interface. In addition, the areal N-atom density is on the order of 10$^{14}$ atom/cm$^2$ for each plane, which is also consistent with the experimental result. Moreover, the electronic structure of the interface after NO annealing, in which the CO bonds are removed and the nitride layer only at the interface is inserted, is free from gap states, although some interface models before NO annealing include the gap states arising from the CO bonds near the valence band edge of the bandgap. Our results imply that NO annealing can contribute to the reduction in the density of interface defects by forming the nitride layer.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2204_13870
institution arXiv
publishDate 2022
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Density functional theory calculations for investigation of atomic structures of 4H-SiC/SiO$_2$ interface after NO annealing
Komatsu, Naoki
Ohmoto, Mizuho
Uemoto, Mitsuharu
Ono, Tomoya
Materials Science
We propose the atomic structures of the 4H-SiC/SiO$_2$ interface for the $a$, $m$, C, and Si faces after NO annealing. Our proposed structures preferentially form at the topmost layers of the SiC side of the interface, which agrees with the experimental finding of secondary-ion mass spectrometry, that is, the N atoms accumulate at the interface. In addition, the areal N-atom density is on the order of 10$^{14}$ atom/cm$^2$ for each plane, which is also consistent with the experimental result. Moreover, the electronic structure of the interface after NO annealing, in which the CO bonds are removed and the nitride layer only at the interface is inserted, is free from gap states, although some interface models before NO annealing include the gap states arising from the CO bonds near the valence band edge of the bandgap. Our results imply that NO annealing can contribute to the reduction in the density of interface defects by forming the nitride layer.
title Density functional theory calculations for investigation of atomic structures of 4H-SiC/SiO$_2$ interface after NO annealing
topic Materials Science
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2204.13870