Effects of gamma irradiation on the structural and electrical properties of SiC thin-films deposited by DC/RF magnetron sputtering

We report on the formation of nano-crystalline SiC thin-films when deposited on Si by RF/DC co-sputtering technique. It is interesting to note that the films are crystallized into hexagonal SiC system, with average crystallite sizes ranging from 64 nm to 69 nm depending on the growth temperature. X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy and Photoluminescence (PL) analysis are consistent to each other and confirm the formation nanocrystalline films. Metal contacts (Au/Ti) are deposited on the surface of these films to characterize their electrical properties. These devices have exhibited rectification behavior, with effective Schottkey barrier heights in the range of 0.7 eV to 0.8 eV. Further, the effects of gamma irradiation on the performance these devices have been investigated by means of PL and Current-Voltage (I-V) measurements. The device made of the film deposited at 300 °C is fund to be more stable under gamma irradiation. This study will provide useful information for fabricating SiC thin-film-based electronic devices for applications in high-temperature and radiation-rich environments, such as aerospace, nuclear, and defense electronics.