Published online by Cambridge University Press: 21 March 2011
Thermodynamically stable, low specific contact resistance electrical contacts to SiC are essential to the application of such devices in high power or high temperature applications. However, thermal budgets impose processing constraints due to interfacial reactions and dopant profiles during device fabrication. Nickel disilicide (NiSi2) is useful for metallization of SiC, as stable contacts can be formed on SiC by reacting a fugitive layer of amorphous silicon (a-Si) with sputtered nickel at 300°C. NiSi2 forms directly upon reacting nickel with a-Si; this is not the case when nickel is reacted with crystalline silicon, where more nickel-rich silicides form first. Specific contact resistances as low as 5.6×10−5 Ωcm2 have been measured using NiSi2 circular TLM contacts so formed on APCVD 3C-SiC thin films deposited on a silicon wafer.