It was noted that electron trapping in stacking-fault interface states could lower the energy of a stacking fault by more than it cost to form the fault. This electronic stress driving force for stacking-fault expansion was evaluated for single and double stacking faults in 4H-SiC in terms of a 2-dimensional free-electron density of states model based upon first-principles calculations. In contrast with previous work, which claimed that the number of electrons that could be trapped in the stacking fault was severely limited by the potential barrier arising from the space-charge region adjacent to the fault, it was found that the potential barrier was strongly reduced by screening and its effect was negligible.

Electronic Driving Force for Stacking Fault Expansion in 4H-SiC. W.R.L.Lambrecht, M.S.Miao: Physical Review B, 2006, 73[15], 155312 (6pp)