Elucidation of the atomic-scale mechanism of the anisotropic oxidation rate of 4H-SiC between the ($0001$) Si-face and ($000\overline{1}$) C-face by using a new Si-O-C interatomic potential

TL;DR

This study develops a new interatomic potential to simulate and understand the atomistic mechanisms behind the different oxidation rates of SiC's Si-face and C-face, revealing the structural origins of their oxidation behaviors.

Contribution

A novel Si-C-O interatomic potential was created to accurately model SiC oxidation, enabling large-scale simulations that elucidate the atomic mechanisms behind face-dependent oxidation rates.

Findings

Si-face has a higher activation energy due to stable flat interface structures.

C-face oxidation involves easier Si atom pull-up, leading to disordered interfaces.

Different atomic processes explain the disparity in oxidation rates between faces.

Abstract

Silicon carbide (SiC) is an attractive semiconductor material for applications in power electronic devices. However, fabrication of a high-quality SiC/SiO${}_2$ interface has been a challenge. It is well-known that there is a great difference in oxidation rate between the Si-face and C-face, and that the quality of oxide on the Si-face is greater than that on the C-face. However, the atomistic mechanism of the thermal oxidation of SiC remains to be solved. In this paper, a new Si-C-O interatomic potential was developed to reproduce the kinetics of the thermal oxidation of SiC. Using this newly developed potential, large-scale SiC oxidation simulations at various temperature were performed. The results showed that the activation energy of the Si-face is much larger than that of the C-face. In the case of the Si-face, a flat and aligned interface structure including Si${}^{1+}$ was created. Based on the estimated activation energies of the intermediate oxide states, it is proposed that the stability of the flat interface structure is the origin of the high activation energy of the oxidation of the Si-face. In contrast, in the case of the C-face, it is found that the Si atom at the interface are easily pulled up by the O atoms. This process generates the disordered interface and decreases the activation energy of the oxidation. It is also proposed that many excess C atoms are created in the case of the C-face.