Low resistance, stable ohmic contacts to silicon carbide, and method of making the same

Abstract

Stable, high temperature electrical contacts to silicon carbide formed using a unique silicide formation process that employs a sacrificial silicon layer between the silicon carbide and the contacting metal, which forms a metal silicide interlayer providing the resulting contact with low specific contact resistance and high electrical and structural stability. The contact interface is formed by reaction below the semiconductor surface, and thus the in-situ silicide formation process is insensitive to surface impurities and oxides and permits the controlled formation of silicides without the formation of excess carbon and carbides at the contact interface. The silicon layer may optionally be doped in situ during growth or implanted with dopants after growth, to lower the contact resistance and enhance its operational stability.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.