ION-IMPLANTATION AND ACTIVATION OF ALUMINUM IN 6H-SIC

Ion implantation of large doses (> 10(15)/cm(2)) or Al into SIC is known to produce excessive damage which cannot be readily eliminated by thermal annealing. We have demonstrated electrical activation of ion-implanted Al in 6H-SiC, using a relatively low total ion dose (2.9 x 10(14)/cm(2)) implanted at three energies (65, 135, and 220 keV) into a 2 mu m epitaxial layer with a background p-type doping level of 1 x 10(18)/cm(3). The implanted samples were annealed at temperatures from 1300 to 1500 degrees C using a proximity annealing method to retard the decomposition of the SiC surface at high temperatures. Upon annealing at 1450 degrees C the sheet resistance of the implanted layer was reduced by approximately a factor of four relative to the same p-type layer which was not implanted.