Band alignment regulation of HfO2/SiC heterojunctions induced by PEALD with in situ NH3-plasma passivation

The efficient passivation of in situ NH3-plasma pre-treatment and its regulation of the band alignment between HfO2 and 4H-SiC have been investigated by XPS. With in situ NH3-plasma passivation by PEALD, a VBO of 0.72 eV and a CBO of 1.54 eV can be obtained across the HfO2/4H-SiC interface. The Si-O bonds components reduction in the passivated interface layers will lead to band bending or band shift at the interface and regulate the band alignments between HfO2 and 4H-SiC. The physical mechanism investigation of band alignments can be a cornerstone for the application of HfO2/4H-SiC heterojunctions in the high-power devices.