Measurement of current conduction in the metal/thermal oxide/n-type 6H
-silicon carbide is reported. The thermal oxides were grown on nitroge
n-doped n-type 6H-silicon carbide at 1275-degrees-C in a dry oxygen am
bient. Analysis indicates a Fowler-Nordheim type current conduction me
chanism with a barrier height of 2.7 eV between silicon carbide and ox
ide. Using this value an electron affinity of 3.7-3.8 eV was determine
d for the Si face of 6H-silicon carbide. The breakdown field strength
for the oxides grown on n-type 6H-silicon carbide was 10 MV/cm which i
s comparable to the breakdown field strength of thermal oxides grown o
n silicon. Capacitance-voltage measurements indicated that the interfa
ce between n-type silicon carbide and the thermally grown oxide has a
low (5 X 10(10) cm-2 eV-1) interface trap density (D(it)). The effecti
ve charge density in the oxide was estimated to be 1 X 10(11) cm-2. Th
ese measurements indicate that the quality of oxides thermally grown o
n 6H-silicon carbide is comparable to those grown on silicon.