GaNSpector · Automated inspection tool to unveil defects in raw Gallium Nitride (GaN) and Silicon Carbide (SiC) crystals.

Automated inspection tool to unveil defects in raw Gallium Nitride (GaN) and Silicon Carbide (SiC) crystals.

Gallium Nitride (GaN) and Silicon Carbide (SiC), in particular the 4H hexagonal polytype of SiC (4H-SiC), are wide bandgap semiconductors with significantly superior electrical and thermal characteristics compared to Silicon. Both materials are key enablers for ongoing changes in electric utility and transportation infrastructures. Commercial products that significantly benefit from GaN and 4H-SiC semiconductors include solid-state energy converters, power management electronics, power amplifiers, light-emitting diodes, displays, solar cells, lasers, environmental sensors and potential for 5G technology. The high defectiveness of produced crystals is one of the principal obstacles to expanding GaN and 4H-SiC use. 1. The crystal growth process is challenging to control in-situ in real-time, 2. Today the defect identification takes place after time-consuming crystal wafering and polishing procedure. It means that initially defective areas are wafered and polished and then rejected by downstream quality control. The industry will greatly benefit from a non-destructive quality control tool, that could indicate defective regions of crystals “on-the-spot” to avoid its costly processing and, consequently, reduce the fabrication costs. This project aimed to develop an automated non-destructive inspection tool to help semiconductor manufacturers to get insight into raw GaN and 4H-SiC crystal quality. Such a scanner will help improving the growth process and assessing the defectiveness of GaN and 4H-SiC crystals before processing. It will save resources on slicing and polishing initially defective crystals, and thereby time and costs to fabricate epi-ready wafers, as well as reduce the environmental impact.

Data: CORDIS, © European Union