A study was made of the structural change of defects caused by annealing Al-implanted SiC crystals at 1600C using channelling Rutherford back-scattering spectrometry and synchrotron white beam X-ray topography. Comparison of the Rutherford back-scattering spectra before and after annealing showed damage recovery, i.e. a drastic decrease in interstitial atoms. X-ray topography revealed that the size of the white elliptical contrast in micropipe images was decreased by annealing. This result suggested that excess interstitial atoms near the micropipes flowed into their internal walls, and consequently, shrinkage of their hollow cores occurred during annealing.

Structural Change of Micropipes in Al-Implanted SiC Crystals by Post-Implantation Annealing. K.Ishiji, R.Ohtani, S.Kawado, Y.Hirai, S.Nagamachi: Semiconductor Science and Technology, 2011, 26[2], 025009