Cubic polytype inclusions in 4H–SiC

Abstract

Multiple stacking faults in 4H–SiC, leading to narrow 3C polytype inclusions along the hexagonal c direction, have been studied using an ab initio supercell approach with 96 atoms per supercell. The number of neighboring stacking faults considered is two, three, and four. The wave functions and the two-dimensional energy bands, located in the band gap and associated with the narrow inclusions, can be reconciled with a planar quantum-well model with quantum-well depth equal to the conduction band offset between 3C– and 4H–SiC. We show that the existence of the electronic dipole moment due to the spontaneous polarization leads to a clear asymmetry of the bound wave functions inside the quantum well, and that the perturbation associated with the change in the dipole moment caused by the 3C–like inclusion accounts for the appearance of very shallow localized states at the valence band edge. We have also calculated the stacking fault energies for successive stacking faults. It is found that the stacking fault energy for two stacking faults in adjacent basal planes is reduced by approximately a factor of 4 relative to that of one isolated stacking fault, indicating that double stacking faults in 4H–SiC could be quite common.