Study of reverse dark current in 4H-SiC avalanche photodiodes

Temperature-dependent current-voltage (I-V) measurements have been used to determine the reverse dark current mechanisms in 4H-SiC avalanche photodiodes (APDs). A pn junction vertical mesa structure, passivated with SiO₂ grown by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition, exhibits predominate leakage current along the mesa sidewall. Similar APDs, passivated by thermal oxide, exhibit lower dark current before breakdown; however, when the temperature is higher than 146°C, an anomalous dark current, which increases rapidly with temperature, is observed. This current component appears to be eliminated by the removal of the thermal oxide. Near breakdown, tunneling is the dominant dark current mechanism for these pn devices. APDs fabricated from a pp^-n structure show reduced tunneling current. At room temperature, the dark current at 95% of breakdown voltage is 140 fA (1.8 nA/cm²) for a 100-μm diameter APD. At a gain of 1000, the dark current is 35 pA (0.44 μA/cm²).