Interfacial characteristics of Al/SiO2/n-type 6H–SiC metal–oxide–semiconductor capacitors fabricated by rapid thermal processing (RTP) with N2O and NO annealing are investigated. Interface state density was measured by a conductance technique at room temperature. RTP oxidation in pure O2 leads to an excellent SiO2/n-type 6H–SiC interface with interface state density in the order of 1010–1011 eV−1 cm−2. NO annealing improves the SiO2/n-type 6H–SiC interface, while N2O annealing increases the interface state density.

Experiments have demonstrated that nitridation provides critically important improvements in the quality of SiO2–SiC interface. This article provides results and analysis aimed at developing the much needed understanding of the mechanisms and effects associated with both annealing of pregrown oxides and direct growth in NO and N2O environments. According to the model proposed in the article, nitridation plays a double role: (1) creation of strong Si≡N bonds that passivate interface traps due to dangling and strained bonds, and (2) removal of carbon and associated complex silicon–oxycarbon bonds from the interface. This understanding of the effects of nitridation is experimentally verified and used to design a superior process for gate oxide growth in the industry-preferred N2O environment.

Silicon carbide (SiC) is one of the most promising materials for applications in harsh environments thanks to its excellent electrical, mechanical, and chemical properties. The piezoresistive effect of SiC has recently attracted a great deal of interest for sensing devices in hostile conditions. This paper reviews the piezoresistive effect of SiC for mechanical sensors used at elevated temperatures. We present experimental results of the gauge factors obtained for various poly-types of SiC films and SiC nanowires, the related theoretical analysis, and an overview on the development of SiC piezoresistive transducers. The review also discusses the current issues and the potential applications of the piezoresistive effect in SiC.

An analysis of fast and slow traps at the interface of 4H–SiC with oxides grown in O2, N2O, and NO reveals that the dominant positive effect of nitridation is due to a significant reduction of the slow electron trap density. These traps are likely to be related to defects located in the near-interfacial oxide layer. In addition, the analysis confirms that the fast interface states related to clustered carbon are also reduced by nitridation.

In this letter, we investigate the threshold voltage (V _TH ) shift in a p-GaN gate AlGaN/GaN transistor by designed gate-bias pulse measurements. It was found that the forward gate bias causes positive (V _TH ) shift. The dynamics of electron trapping was revealed from the dependences of the consequent (V _TH ) shift on the bias duration at different voltages. A time constant smaller than 0.1 ms for the (V _TH ) shift saturation at 6-V gate bias was obtained. It was also found that the (V _TH ) became inversely proportional to the gate-bias voltages exceeding 7 V. This inverse proportionality of the (V _TH ) shift resulted from the threshold of the hole-injection/electroluminescence (EL) and the sequential optical pumping effect on the electron traps. The EL emission was confirmed by a self- and in-situ photon detection measurement.