Electrical properties and interface chemistry in the Ti/3C-SiC system

Characterizations were performed to determine the properties of Ti contacts on 3C-SiC. Both titanium carbides and titanium silicides were studied carefully following heat treatments from 600 to 1000/spl deg/C. The peak associated with titanium silicides in Auger Si spectrum is identified. Structural and chemical analyzes using AES, XPS, and XRD revealed how the electrical properties of the contacts correlate with the interface chemistry. It is found that while the carbide improves the ohmic behavior of the contacts, the cubic structure disilicide C49 TiSi/sub 2/ formed at the interface at above 700/spl deg/C is closely related to the lowering in the contact resistance. The barrier height decreases from 0.53 eV for as-deposited films to 0.44 eV due to annealing. The contacts maintained stable electrical characteristics after annealing at 600/spl deg/C for extended periods of time.