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Synchrotron X-Ray Topography Analysis of Low Angle Grain Boundaries Induced by Growth Step Flow in PVT-Grown 4H-SiC Crystals

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Abstract:

Synchrotron X-ray topography (XRT) combined with ray-tracing simulation was employed to examine the distribution and formation mechanisms of LAGBs in off-axis 4H-SiC wafers grown by PVT. Extensive TED-LAGB networks were observed adjacent to the facet, along with three TED-LAGBs emanating from micropipes on the left edge of the wafer. Ray-tracing simulations enabled the identification of TED Burgers vectors by correlating simulated and observed contrast configurations. The results suggest that large TED-LAGB networks near facets originate from misorientations between growth fronts of horseshoe-shaped steps incorporating prismatic slip dislocations, induced by radial temperature gradients. Similarly, LAGBs associated with micropipes arise from localized step-flow perturbations. These findings provide a revised mechanism for TED-LAGBs formation, establishing a link between their spatial distribution and growth dynamics, and offering new insights into their role in determining the quality of 4H-SiC substrates.

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Periodical:

Materials Science Forum (Volume 1190)

Pages:

69-77

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.4028/p-9ppZEB

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Cite this paper

Online since:

May 2026

Authors:

Jian Pei Zhang*, Ze Yu Chen, Yu Zhuo Li, Shan Shan Hu, Balaji Raghothamachar, Ya Fei Liu, Campbell Bouch, Ryan Philpott, Scott Turchetti, Pete Schunemann, Michael Dudley

Keywords:

4H-SiC, Low-Angle Grain Boundary, Physical Vapor Growth, Synchrotron X-Ray Characterization

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* - Corresponding Author

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