ALE Like Post-ETCH SiC Surface Treatment

With the development of society, the advancement of ultra-efficient power conversion semiconductor devices has become a key focus in the field of electronics. As a promising third-generation semiconductor material, silicon carbide (SiC) has found widespread application in various electricity-related fields, including photovoltaics, energy storage, electric charging, and electric vehicles. SiC's excellent properties, such as a wide bandgap (3.2 eV), high thermal conductivity (200 W/mK), high breakdown voltage (10 MV/cm), high hardness (Mohs scale ~9.0), and high radiation resistance, make it an ideal material for those applications<sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">[1]-[2]</sup>. During the fabrication of SiC power devices, rapid etching processes, while necessary, can introduce plasma damage that adversely affects the electrical performance and lifespan of the devices. To address this issue, atomic layer etching (ALE) technology is introduced as a post-etch surface treatment. ALE significantly reduces the plasma-induced etch damage, enabling precise etching of SiC at a highly repeatable rate of approximately 5 Å per cycle. This work provides valuable guidance for the preparation of SiC power devices in order to enhance their overall performance and reliability.