Influence of proton irradiation on recombination current in 6H–SiC pn structures

The effect of proton bombardment on recombination current and the value of the steady state lifetime of nonequilibrium carriers for 6H–SiC pn structures created by sublimation epitaxy was investigated. The irradiation was carried out with 8-MeV protons in the range of doses from 1014–1016 cm−2. Irradiation with a dose of 3.6×1014 cm−2 increases the recombination current and decreases the steady-state lifetime for deep-level recombination in the space charge region by up to two orders of magnitude. Irradiation with higher doses (up to 5×1015 cm−2) or annealing at temperatures in the range 300–800 K leaves the recombination current and steady state lifetime practically unchanged.