Ohmic contact with enhanced stability to polycrystalline silicon carbide via carbon interfacial layer

Abstract

The development of electrical contacts to silicon carbide with low specific resistivity and stability is a critical requirement for harsh environment MEMS applications. In this paper, we present a novel method to lower the ohmic contact resistivity and enhance the stability of Pt contacts to polycrystalline 3C-SiC (poly-SiC) operated at elevated temperatures. In particular, nanocrystalline graphite is grown at the interface between poly-SiC and Pt. The contact resistance of Pt/C/SiC is found to be half the value of Pt/SiC at room temperature. In addition, the temperature dependence of the contact resistivity results show that with a carbon interfacial layer, stable ohmic contacts to poly-SiC are achieved at 540°C temperature in air.