Schottky barrier between 6H-SiC and graphite:: Implications for metal/SiC contact formation

Using photoelectron spectroscopy we have determined the Schottky barrier between 6H-SiC(0001) and graphite layers grown by solid state graphitization. For n-type 6H-SiC(0001) we find a low Schottky barrier of phi(bn)=0.3 +/- 0.1 eV. For p-type SiC(0001) a rather large value of phi(bp)=2.7 +/- 0.1 eV was determined. It is proposed that these extreme values are likely to have an impact on the electrical behavior of metal/SiC contacts subjected to postdeposition anneals. (c) 2006 American Institute of Physics.