High-Temperature Hall Effect Sensor Based on Epitaxial Graphene on High-Purity Semiinsulating 4H-SiC

Abstract

In this report, we demonstrate a novel high-temperature Hall effect sensor that is based on quasi-free-standing monolayer graphene epitaxially grown on high-purity semiinsulating (SI) on-axis 4H-SiC(0001) substrate in a chemical vapor deposition process. To ensure statistical perspective, characteristics of 23 elements are determined as a function of temperature ranging from 300 to 770 K. Passivated with a 100-nm-thick atomic-layer-deposited aluminum oxide, the sensor offers current-mode sensitivity of 80 V/AT with thermal stability of -0.02%/K within the range between 300 and 573 K, and -0.06%/K between 573 and 770 K. The sensor's room-temperature output voltage is monitored in the magnetic field from -300 to +300 mT and its offset voltage at 0 T is assessed. Its high-temperature electrical properties are explained through a double-carrier transport involving spontaneous-polarization-induced holes in the graphene layer and thermally activated electrons emitted from a deep acceptor level related to silicon vacancy V <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Si</sub> <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">1-/2-</sup> occupying the k site of the 4H-SiC lattice. The sensor is compared with a previously reported one on vanadium-compensated SI on-axis 6H-SiC(0001). The new sensor's applicability to magnetic field detection at high temperatures is verified.