Recombination defects at the 4H-SiC/SiO2 interface investigated with electrically detected magnetic resonance and ab initio calculations

The selectivity of electrically detected magnetic resonance (EDMR) is utilized to probe the dominant recombination defect at the Si-face 4H-SiC/SiO2 interface. The nature of this defect has long been debated with the two main candidates being the Si vacancy (V-si) or the C-dangling bond (P-bC). Through comparison between experimental EDMR measurements and ab initio calculations, an important performance limiting recombination defect observed with EDMR in the current generation of nMOSFETs is reasonably explained as a combination of the P-bC and the dual-P-bC defects. These defects match the symmetry, hyperfine interaction, and isotopic abundance observed in the experimental EDMR spectrum. Published by AIP Publishing.