The electrical properties and thermal stability of TaC ohmic contacts with W/WC overlayers were investigated on n-type 6H-SiC (0001) substrates. The specific contact resistance (SCR) was measured after annealing at 600 °C and 1000 °C for 50 ∼ 1000 h. The SCRs (3.0 ∼ 3.6 ×10−5 Ωcm2) of contacts annealed at 600 °C for 1000 h remained constant within the experimental error. Significant increases in the SCR were not observed until the samples were annealed at 1000 °C for several hundred hours.

No reaction of the film with the SiC substrate was observed after annealing at 600 °C for 1000 h; however, atomic-scale reactions appeared to be concentrated adjacent to grain boundaries in the reacted film. From Auger depth profiles, it was found that W and WC reacted to form W2C on TaC after annealing.

According to SIMS analysis, after annealing at 1000 °C for 600 h, small but measurable changes in the electrical characteristics were associated with O incorporation at the interface between TaC and SiC. Investigation of the W/WC/TaC/SiC interface by TEM indicated that a reaction between the metal layers had occurred, but there was no observed reaction with the SiC substrate. After annealing for 1000 h, substantial changes in the contacts were observed. The findings indicate that both oxidation and metallurgical reactions have important implications on the current operating limits for SiC high temperature devices.