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Title: Investigations of 3C-SiC inclusions in 4H-SiC epilayers on 4H-SiC single crystal substrates

Journal Article · · Journal of Electronic Materials
;  [1]; ; ;  [2]
  1. State Univ. of New York, Stony Brook, NY (United States)
  2. Cree Research Inc., Durham, NC (United States)

Synchrotron white beam x-ray topography (SWBXT) and Nomarski optical microscopy (NOM) have been used to characterize 4H-SiC epilayers and to study the character of triangular inclusions therein. 4H-SiC substrates misoriented by a range of angles from (0001), as well as (1 1{bar 0}0) and (11 2{bar 0}) oriented substrates were used. No evidence was found for the nucleation of 3C-SiC inclusions at superscrew dislocations (along the [0001] axis) in the 4H-SiC substrates. Increasing the off-axis angle of the substrates from 3.5 to 6.5{degree} was found to greatly suppress the formation of the triangular inclusions. In the case of substrates misoriented by 8.0{degree} from (0001) toward [112{bar 0}], the triangular inclusions were virtually eliminated. The crystalline quality of 4H-SiC epilayers grown on the substrates misoriented by 8.0{degree} from (0001) was very good. For the (11{bar 0}0) and (112{bar 0}) samples, there is no indication of 3C-SiC inclusions in the epilayers. Possible formation mechanisms and the morphology of 3C-SiC inclusions are discussed. 17 refs., 13 figs.

Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
OSTI ID:
484474
Journal Information:
Journal of Electronic Materials, Vol. 26, Issue 3; Other Information: PBD: Mar 1997
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English