Auger recombination in 4H-SiC: Unusual temperature behavior

The band-to-band Auger recombination in 4H-SiC material is studied using a time-resolved photoinduced absorption technique. The Auger recombination coefficient is derived from the kinetics of electron-hole plasma in heavily doped n-type 4H-SiC and in low-doped 4H-SiC epitaxial layers in the temperature interval 300–565 K. Within this range, its value decreases from γ3=(7±1)×10−31 cm6 s−1 to γ3=(4±1)×10−32 cm6 s−1. The observed pronounced reduction of Auger recombination rate with temperature is correlated to temperature dependent threshold energy of Auger process.