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Quantum-enhanced electric field mapping within semiconductor devices

D. Scheller1,*, F. Hrunski1,*, J.H. Schwarberg2, W. Knolle3, Ö.O. Soykal4, P. Udvarhelyi5, P. Narang6,7, H.B. Weber8, M. Hollendonner1,† et al.

R. Nagy1

  • *These authors contributed equally.
  • †Contact author: maximilian.hollendonner@fau.de
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Phys. Rev. Applied 24, 014036 – Published 18 July, 2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/pv13-vgcw

Abstract

Semiconductor components based on silicon carbide (SiC) are a key component for high-power electronics. Their behavior is determined by the interplay of charges and electric fields, which is typically described by modeling and simulations that are calibrated by nonlocal electric properties. So far, the 3D mapping of both the electric field and the concentrations of free charge carriers inside an electronic device remains a challenging task. To fulfill this information gap, we propose an operando method that utilizes single silicon vacancy (VSi) centers in 4H-SiC. The VSi centers are at various positions in the intrinsic region of a p-i-n diode. To monitor the local static electric field, we perform Stark-shift measurements based on photoluminescence excitation, which allows us to infer the expansion of the depletion zone and therefore to determine the local concentration of dopants. Besides this, we show that our measurements allow us to additionally obtain the local concentration of free charge carriers. The method presented here therefore paves the way for a new quantum-enhanced electronic device technology, capable of mapping the interplay of mobile charges and electric fields in a working semiconductor device with nanometer precision.

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Phys. Rev. Applied 24, 014036– Published 18 July, 2025
  • Received 18 December 2024
  • Revised 5 May 2025
  • Accepted 20 June 2025
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