IP Library Granted Patent US 12,467,159
Granted Patent B2
US 12,467,159 · App. 16/471,784 · Granted Nov 11, 2025

P-type SiC epitaxial wafer and production method therefor

Inventors: Naoto Ishibashi (Chichibu, JP); Keisuke Fukada (Chichibu, JP); Akira Bandoh (Chichibu, JP)
Assignee: Resonac Corporation
C30B29/36C30B25/02H01L21/02529H10D62/8325
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,467,159
App. No.
16/471,784
Granted
Nov 11, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

A method of producing a p-type SiC epitaxial wafer, the method including: a step of setting an input raw material C/Si ratio, being a ratio between the C element and the Si element in a feedstock gas; and a step of obtaining a p-type SiC epitaxial wafer having an Al dopant concentration of at least 1×10 18 cm −3 by forming a p-type SiC epitaxial film on a substrate in a film-forming atmosphere comprising the feedstock gas, a Cl-based gas containing Cl in the molecule, and a dopant gas containing Al and C in the molecule, wherein the input raw material C/Si ratio is set based on a total gas C/Si ratio, being a ratio between the C element and the Si element in the film-forming atmosphere containing the C element included in the dopant gas, the input raw material C/Si ratio differs from the total gas C/Si ratio, and the input raw material C/Si ratio is 0.8 or less.

Claims (31)

1 . A p-type SiC epitaxial wafer comprising a p-type SiC epitaxial film, wherein the p-type SiC epitaxial film has an Al dopant concentration of at least 1×10 18 cm −3 , and an in-plane uniformity of the dopant concentration of 25% or less,

the wafer has a diameter of at least six inches, and

the wafer has a triangular defect density of 0.1 cm −2 or less.

2 . A method of producing the p-type SiC epitaxial wafer comprising a p-type SiC epitaxial film according to claim 1 , wherein the p-type SiC epitaxial film has an Al dopant concentration of at least 1×10 18 cm −3 and an in-plane uniformity of the dopant concentration of 25% or less, the method comprising:

a step of setting an input raw material C/Si ratio, which is a ratio between C element and Si element in a feedstock gas,

a step of obtaining a p-type SiC epitaxial wafer having an Al dopant concentration of at least 1×10 18 cm −3 by forming a p-type SiC epitaxial film on a substrate in a film-forming atmosphere comprising the feedstock gas, a Cl-based gas containing Cl in the molecule, and a dopant gas containing Al and C in the molecule, and

a sub-step of setting the input raw material C/Si ratio based on a total gas C/Si ratio, being a ratio between the C element and the Si element in the film-forming atmosphere containing the C element included in the dopant gas, wherein

the input raw material C/Si ratio differs from the total gas C/Si ratio, and

the input raw material C/Si ratio is 0.8 or less.

3 . The method for producing a p-type SiC epitaxial wafer according to claim 2 , wherein the total gas C/Si ratio is at least 1.0.

4 . The method for producing a p-type SiC epitaxial wafer according to claim 2 , wherein the total gas C/Si ratio is at least 1.0 but not more than 2.1.

5 . The method for producing a p-type SiC epitaxial wafer according to claim 2 , wherein the Cl-based gas containing Cl in the molecule includes HCl.

6 . The method for producing a p-type SiC epitaxial wafer according to claim 2 , wherein, a Si-based feedstock gas in the feedstock gas contains Cl in the molecule.

7 . The method for producing a p-type SiC epitaxial wafer according to claim 2 , wherein the dopant gas containing Al and C in the molecule is trimethylaluminum.

8 . The method for producing a p-type SiC epitaxial wafer according to claim 2 , wherein at least 10% of the C element in the film-forming atmosphere originates from the dopant gas.

9 . The method for producing a p-type SiC epitaxial wafer according to claim 8 , wherein the feedstock gas does not contain the C element.

10 . The p-type SiC epitaxial wafer according to claim 1 , wherein the wafer has an in-plane uniformity of the dopant concentration of 10% or less.

11 . The p-type SiC epitaxial wafer according to claim 1 , wherein the in-plane uniformity of the dopant concentration is a value which is obtained by dividing a difference between a maximum dopant concentration value of the wafer and a minimum dopant concentration value of the wafer by an average dopant concentration value in an in-plane direction of the wafer, and multiplying the divided difference by 100.

12 . The p-type SiC epitaxial wafer according to claim 1 , wherein the in-plane uniformity of the dopant concentration is 18% or less.

13 . The p-type SiC epitaxial wafer according to claim 1 , wherein the in-plane uniformity of the dopant concentration is 10% or less.

14 . The p-type SiC epitaxial wafer according to claim 1 , wherein the in-plane uniformity of the dopant concentration is 7.7 to 20.5%.

15 . The p-type SiC epitaxial wafer according to claim 1 , wherein the in-plane uniformity of the dopant concentration is 7.7% or more.

16 . The p-type SiC epitaxial wafer according to claim 1 , wherein the p-type SiC epitaxial wafer includes a SiC single crystal substrate on which the p-type SiC epitaxial film has been directly formed.

17 . The p-type SiC epitaxial wafer according to claim 1 , wherein the p-type SiC epitaxial wafer is generated by a method comprising:

a step of setting an input raw material C/Si ratio, which is a ratio between C element and Si element in a feedstock gas,

a step of obtaining the p-type SiC epitaxial wafer having an Al dopant concentration of at least 1×10 18 cm −3 by forming the p-type SiC epitaxial film on a substrate in a film-forming atmosphere comprising the feedstock gas, a Cl-based gas containing Cl in the molecule, and a dopant gas containing Al and C in the molecule, and

a sub-step of setting the input raw material C/Si ratio based on a total gas C/Si ratio, being a ratio between the C element and the Si element in the film-forming atmosphere containing the C element included in the dopant gas, wherein

the input raw material C/Si ratio differs from the total gas C/Si ratio, and

the input raw material C/Si ratio is 0.8 or less.

18 . The p-type SiC epitaxial wafer according to claim 1 , wherein depth of the p-type SiC epitaxial film in a thickness direction from a surface of the SiC epitaxial film is 0.1 μm or more.

19 . The p-type SiC epitaxial wafer according to claim 1 , wherein depth of the p-type SiC epitaxial film in a thickness direction from a surface of the SiC epitaxial film is 1 μm or more.

Assignments (3)
CHANGE OF ADDRESS Recorded Feb 9, 2024
From: RESONAC CORPORATION
To: RESONAC CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 066547/0677 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Jun 23, 2023
From: SHOWA DENKO K.K.
To: RESONAC CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 064082/0513 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 20, 2019
From: ISHIBASHI, NAOTO; FUKADA, KEISUKE; BANDOH, AKIRA
To: SHOWA DENKO K.K.
Reel/Frame 049540/0083 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2016-255541 · Dec 28, 2016 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20190316273A1 · Oct 17, 2019
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