Strong Fermi-level pinning induced by argon inductively coupled plasma treatment and post-metal deposition annealing on 4H-SiC

•ICP treatment creates a Si-depleted amorphous layer at the shallow SiC surface.•This damaged layer is stable up to 500–600°C and results in a strong FLP effect.•With a proper annealing, the damage is repaired without any current degradation.•sp2 carbon created through ICP treatment could modify the characteristics of SBDs.•A controlled SBH (1.1eV) and narrow distribution (1−σ<3meV) are characterized.