STM/STS Study of 4H(6H)-SiC Surface Reconstructions

Semiconductor silicon carbide (SiC) is a promising material for high temperature, high frequency, and high power electron devices because of its wide band gap, high thermal conductivity, and high mobility. The performance of SiC devices can be affected by the quality of surfaces and interfaces. After annealing at high temperature, the surface reconstructions and morphologies of SiC can be changed, leading to different surface structures contact with metals or other materials. Therefore, the SiC devices will be affected by surface reconstructions and morphologies. Scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy (STM/STS) is an extremely useful tool for getting the topographic information of reconstructed structures in real space and their electronic structures on surfaces. In this review, we introduce various surface reconstructions of 4H(6H)-SiC as well as their electronic structures which are analyzed by STM/STS, aiming to promote the development and progress of surface science and SiC devices.