Behavior of Basal Plane Dislocations in Hexagonal Silicon Carbide Single Crystals Grown by Physical Vapor Transport

Abstract

The behavior of basal plane dislocations in hexagonal silicon carbide (SiC) single crystals grown by physical vapor transport (PVT) was investigated by defect selective etching and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Oval-shaped etch pits on the etched vicinal (0001)Si surface due to basal plane dislocations were densely distributed around hollow-core threading screw dislocations (micropipes) and formed etch pit arrays perpendicular to the off-cut direction, indicative of the multiplication of basal plane dislocations around micropipes during crystal growth or post-growth cooling. Arrays of oval-shaped etch pits were also observed in the vicinity of small hexagonal etch pit rows due to threading edge dislocation walls, i.e., low angle grain boundaries (LAGBs). They were asymmetrically distributed across LAGBs, and TEM revealed that threading edge dislocations constituting LAGBs trapped basal plane glide dislocations. The interaction between basal plane dislocations and threading screw and edge dislocations extending along the c-axis in SiC crystals was modeled, and the characteristic behavior of basal plane dislocations in hexagonal SiC single crystals was discussed.