The Influence of Heat Treatment on the Electrical Characteristics of Semi-Insulating SiC Layers Obtained by Irradiating n-SiC with High-Energy Argon Ions

Irradiation of crystalline n-type silicon carbide (n-SiC) with high-energy (53-MeV) argon ions was used to create near-surface semi-insulating (i-SiC) layers. The influence of subsequent heat treatment on the electrical characteristics of i-SiC layers has been studied. The most high-ohmic ion-irradiated i-SiC layers with room-temperature resistivity of no less than 1.6 × 1013 Ω cm were obtained upon the heat treatment at 600°C, whereas the resistivity of such layers heat-treated at 230°C was about 5 × 107 Ω cm.