The paths of basal plane dislocations through 4H-SiC epitaxial layers grown on

wafers with an 8° off-cut were tracked using ultraviolet photoluminescence

imaging. The reduction of basal plane dislocations by conversion to threading edge

dislocations was investigated at ex situ and in situ growth interrupts. For ex situ

interrupts, basal plane dislocations were imaged after each of several growths. The

wafer remains in the reactor for in situ interrupts and basal plane dislocations were

imaged after the growth was finished. For in situ interrupts, a combination of

temperature, propane flow, and duration was determined, which achieve a basal

plane dislocation reduction of 98%.

Basal Plane Dislocation Reduction in 4H-SiC Epitaxy by Growth Interruptions.

R.E.Stahlbush, B.L.VanMil, R.L.Myers-Ward, K.K.Lew, D.K.Gaskill, C.R.Eddy:

Applied Physics Letters, 2009, 94[4], 041916