The defects in 3C-SiC film grown on (001) plane of Si substrate were studied by using a 200kV high-resolution electron microscope with point resolution of 0.2nm. A posterior image processing technique, the image deconvolution, was utilized in combination with the image contrast analysis to distinguish atoms of Si from C distant from each other by 0.109nm in the [110] projected image. The principle of the image processing technique utilized and the related image contrast theory was briefly presented. The procedures of transforming an experimental image that does not reflect the crystal structure intuitively into the structure map and of identifying Si and C atoms from the map were described. The atomic configurations for a 30° partial dislocation and a micro-twin were derived at atomic level. It was determined that the 30° partial dislocation terminates in C atom and the segment of micro-twin was sandwiched between two 180° rotation twins. The corresponding stacking sequences were derived and atomic models were constructed according to the restored structure maps for both the 30° partial dislocation and micro-twin. Images were simulated on the basis of the 2 models in order to confirm these results.

Atomic Configurations of Dislocation Core and Twin Boundaries in 3C-SiC Studied by High-Resolution Electron Microscopy. C.Y.Tang, F.H.Li, R.Wang, J.Zou, X.H.Zheng, J.W.Liang: Physical Review B, 2007 75[18], 184103 (7pp)