SiC bipolar devices showed a degradation under forward-biased operation due to the formation and rapid propagation of stacking faults in the active region of the device. It was believed that the observed rapid stacking fault growth was due to a recombination-enhanced dislocation glide mechanism at the bordering partial dislocations having either Si or C core atoms. An investigation was made of the effect of charge on the dislocation kinks and found that only silicon kinks have a deep filled band above the valence band. Trapping of holes into this band permits dislocation glide at room temperature. This mechanism was distinct from recombination-enhanced dislocation glide since it required only holes to be trapped at a Si partial and not in addition electrons in stacking fault states. The pinning of dislocations by N and B was also considered, and a strong pinning of the C core by N and of the Si core by B was found.

Movement and Pinning of Dislocations in SiC. T.A.G.Eberlein, R.Jones, A.T.Blumenau, S.Öberg, P.R.Briddon: Physica Status Solidi C, 2007, 4[8], 2923-8