The Carbon Vacancy Related EI4 Defect in 4H-SiC

Abstract

Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) was used to study high-purity semi-insulating 4H-SiC irradiated with 2 MeV electrons at room temperature. The EPR signal of the EI4 defect was found to be dominating in samples irradiated and annealed at ~750°C. Additional large-splitting 29Si hyperfine (hf) lines and also other 13C and 29Si hf structures were observed. Based on the observed hf structures and annealing behaviour, the complex between a negative carbon vacancy-carbon antisite pair (VCCSi–) and a distance positive carbon vacancy ( ) is tentatively proposed as a possible model for the EI4 defect.