In-grown stacking faults in n-type 4H-SiC epitaxial layers were investigated by

real-colour cathodoluminescence imaging and spectroscopy carried out at room

and liquid helium temperatures. Stacking faults with 8H stacking order were

observed, as well as double layer and multilayer 3C-SiC structures and a defect

with an excitonic band gap at 2.635eV. It was found that 8H stacking faults and

triangular surface defects can be generated from similar nucleation sources. Timeresolved

measurements revealed that compared to defect-free regions, the carrier

lifetimes were severely reduced by the presence of stacking faults corresponding to

triangular surface defects and three-dimensional 3C-SiC inclusions.

Cathodoluminescence Study of the Properties of Stacking Faults in 4H-SiC

Homoepitaxial Layers. S.I.Maximenko, J.A.Freitas, P.B.Klein, A.Shrivastava,

T.S.Sudarshan: Applied Physics Letters, 2009, 94[9], 092101