ABSTRACTP-type hydrogenated nanocrystalline cubic silicon carbide is a promising material for the emitter of n-type crystalline silicon heterojunction solar cell due to its lower light absorption and wider bandgap of 2.2 eV. The electrical properties of hydrogenated nanocrystalline cubic silicon carbide can be influenced by its crystallinity. In this study, we propose the use of conductive atomic force microscopy (Conductive-AFM) to evaluate the crystalline volume fraction (fc) of p-nc-3C-SiC:H thin films (20∼30 nm) as a new method instead of Raman scattering spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and spectroscopic ellipsometry.
ABSTRACTA robust 6" hotwall flatzone nitride system is developed for scaled ONO interpoly. dielectric application in a high density EPROM memory cell. This system is designed to operate at low temperature (660° C) and gas ratio (4:1 NH3: DCS) with integrated silicon carbide components. The obtained key features are low defects (0.25 #/cm2 particles), smooth topography (measured by atomic force microscopy) and superior electrical interface as measured by electrical and optical methods.
The present paper describes the nature of crack tip plasticity in silicon crystals examined by high voltage electron microscopy (HVEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Firstly, AFM images around a crack tip are presented, where the formation of fine slip bands with the step heights of one or two nanometers is demonstrated. Secondly, crack-tip dislocations observed by HVEM are exhibited, where it is emphasized that dislocation characterization is essential to consider the relief mechanism of crack-tip stress concentration.
Recently, in some silicon carbide single crystals, some micropipes associated with
screw dislocation have been observed by X-ray topography and the strain field around them
produced images similar to those of screw dislocations with a very large Burgers vector, about
667 nm. The radius of the hole in the centre of the micropipe is less than 10 'm. This value
and the theoretical predictions by Frank (about 7.8 mm) using the Burgers vector magnitude
show a large discrepancy. In this paper we present Atomic Force Microscopy experiments
around this kind of defects. The Burgers vector magnitude of the screw dislocation and the
value of the radius have been measured by this technique. Not only one dislocation, but
several have been observed around the micropipe. We concluded that it is in better agreement
with the Frank theory modified by Cabrera and Levine concerning kinetic effects during the
growth.
Impact of Stacking Faults and Domain Boundaries on the Electronic Transport in Cubic Silicon Carbide Probed by Conductive Atomic Force Microscopy