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Structure and Morphology of Inclusions in 4° Offcut 4H-SiC Epitaxial Layers

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Abstract

The structure of inclusions and their influence on surface morphology, local strain, and basal plane dislocations were investigated in silicon carbide (SiC) epitaxial layers grown on 4° offcut substrates. On high-resolution x-ray topography images, strain fields were observed surrounding the inclusions. Ultraviolet photoluminescence images revealed the presence of strain-induced dislocations around the inclusions. Micro-Raman and microphotoluminescence spectroscopy showed that the inclusions exhibited a complex structure that consisted of 3C polytype regions and misoriented 4H polytype regions. The resulting lattice deformation typically propagates in the step-flow growth direction and causes distorted surface morphology.

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Acknowledgements

N.A.M. and D.A.A. would like to acknowledge the support of the National Research Council’s postdoctoral program at the US Naval Research Laboratory. J.L.T. would like to acknowledge the support of the American Association for Engineering Education’s NRL Postdoctoral Fellowship program. Work at NRL is supported by the Office of Naval Research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC, 20375, USA

    Nadeemullah A. Mahadik, Robert E. Stahlbush, Syed B. Qadri, Orest J. Glembocki, Dimitri A. Alexson, Karl D. Hobart, Joshua D. Caldwell, Rachael L. Myers-Ward, Joseph L. Tedesco, Charles R. Eddy Jr. & D. Kurt Gaskill

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  1. Nadeemullah A. Mahadik
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  2. Robert E. Stahlbush
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  3. Syed B. Qadri
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Correspondence to Nadeemullah A. Mahadik.

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Mahadik, N.A., Stahlbush, R.E., Qadri, S.B. et al. Structure and Morphology of Inclusions in 4° Offcut 4H-SiC Epitaxial Layers. J. Electron. Mater. 40, 413–418 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11664-011-1570-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11664-011-1570-8

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