SiC materials: a semiconductor family for the next century

Abstract

The current status of SiC semiconductor materials is reviewed, with emphasize on forthcoming applications. In a first part one focuses on the most important physical properties. Then, power device and micro-opto-electronic applications, using both 4H and 6H-SiC, are presented. Technological problems which have to be solved in order to realize simple planar device are considered. Emphasize is set on the French and European efforts, and on the USA and Japan's ones. In a second part, one deals with advanced high temperature industrial sensor applications. Interest for cubic 3C-SiC eposited on Silicon On Insulator (SOI) is demonstrated and results of comparative examinations of different 3CSiC/SOI materials are briefly given.