Complex Behavior of Threading Dislocations Observed in PVT-Grown 4H-SiC Single Crystals

2012 ◽  
Vol 717-720 ◽  
pp. 355-358 ◽  
Author(s):  
Masakazu Katsuno ◽  
Tatsuo Fujimoto ◽  
Hirokatsu Yashiro ◽  
Hiroshi Tsuge ◽  
Shinya Sato ◽  
...  

Structures and propagating behaviors of threading dislocations (TDs) in PVT-grown 4H-SiC single crystals were both investigated using Synchrotron monochromatic X-ray topography. Comparative studies by examining images obtained for the crystals with different diffraction geometries of (0004) and (11-20) of 4H-SiC revealed that a large amount of TDs are likely to be mixed in character, i.e., dislocations with Burgers vector components of both <0004> and <11-20>. Closer observations of topography images has revealed that, although TDs lie largely along the c-axis direction, some of the TDs show quite a complex propagating behavior: not extending in a straight line but meandering along the growth direction.

2013 ◽  
Vol 740-742 ◽  
pp. 217-220 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fang Zhen Wu ◽  
Michael Dudley ◽  
Huan Huan Wang ◽  
Sha Yan Byrapa ◽  
Shun Sun ◽  
...  

Studies of threading dislocations with Burgers vector of c+a have been carried out using synchrotron white beam X-ray topography. The nucleation and propagation of pairs of opposite sign threading c+a dislocations is observed. Overgrowth of inclusions by growth steps leads to lattice closure failure and the stresses associated with this can be relaxed by the nucleation of opposite sign pairs of dislocations with Burgers vector c+a. Once these dislocations are nucleated they propagate along the c-axis growth direction, or can be deflected onto the basal plane by overgrowth of macrosteps. For the c+a dislocations, partial deflection can occasionally occur, e.g. the a-component deflects onto basal plane while the c-component continuously propagates along the growth direction. One factor controlling the details of these deflection processes is suggested to be related to the ratio between the height of the overgrowing macrostep and that of the surface spiral hillock associated with the threading growth dislocations with c-component of Burgers vector.


2006 ◽  
Vol 527-529 ◽  
pp. 407-410
Author(s):  
Satoshi Yamaguchi ◽  
Daisuke Nakamura ◽  
Itaru Gunjishima ◽  
Yoshiharu Hirose

The detailed properties of the dislocations of SiC crystals were analyzed using ultrahigh-quality substrates manufactured by RAF (repeated a-face) growth method by means of bulk X-ray topography. From this analysis, we could reveal the detailed features of one type of basal plane dislocations and two types of threading dislocations. The basal plane dislocations were screw type with Burgers vector were parallel to <11-20> direction. One of the threading dislocations was mixed type close to screw dislocation parallel to the growth direction with Burgers vector of 1c+na (n=0, 1, 2, …). Another was the edge type parallel to the c-axis, which was lying between two basal plane dislocations. Moreover, these dislocations were found to be connecting with each other, constituting large network structures.


2000 ◽  
Vol 5 (S1) ◽  
pp. 97-103
Author(s):  
Kathleen A. Dunn ◽  
Susan E. Babcock ◽  
Donald S. Stone ◽  
Richard J. Matyi ◽  
Ling Zhang ◽  
...  

Diffraction-contrast TEM, focused probe electron diffraction, and high-resolution X-ray diffraction were used to characterize the dislocation arrangements in a 16µm thick coalesced GaN film grown by MOVPE LEO. As is commonly observed, the threading dislocations that are duplicated from the template above the window bend toward (0001). At the coalescence plane they bend back to lie along [0001] and thread to the surface. In addition, three other sets of dislocations were observed. The first set consists of a wall of parallel dislocations lying in the coalescence plane and nearly parallel to the substrate, with Burgers vector (b) in the (0001) plane. The second set is comprised of rectangular loops with b = 1/3 [110] (perpendicular to the coalescence boundary) which originate in the coalescence boundary and extend laterally into the film on the (100). The third set of dislocations threads laterally through the film along the [100] bar axis with 1/3<110>-type Burgers vectors These sets result in a dislocation density of ∼109 cm−2. High resolution X-ray reciprocal space maps indicate wing tilt of ∼0.5º.


1996 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 804-812 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. Namikawa ◽  
M. Egami ◽  
S. Koyama ◽  
Y. Shiohara ◽  
H. Kutami

Large YBa2Cu3O7−x (Y123) single crystals (larger than 13 mm cubed) have been grown along the c-axis reproducibly by the modified pulling method. The crystallinity of Y123 single crystal was investigated by x-ray diffraction and x-ray topography. Crystals grown from an MgO single crystal seed had some low angle subgrain boundaries which tilted 0.1–0.8° from each other. These grain boundaries originated from the seed crystal, and the subgrains were extended along the growth direction from the seed crystal. Y123 single crystals with no marked subgrains in the whole area were obtained by using Y123 single subgrain crystal seeds. FWHM of the x-ray rocking curve for the crystal so produced was about 0.14°, which was much better than the spectrum consisting of several separated peaks obtained from the previous crystals. Tc onset of the annealed sample was about 93.6 K, and the transition width was about 0.9 K. The low angle subgrain boundaries did not seem to be effective pinning centers for the magnetic flux.


1996 ◽  
Vol 442 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. M. Vetter ◽  
M. Dudley

AbstractMicropipes, the hollow cores of superscrew dislocations that lie along the c-direction in SiC single crystals, are quite deleterious to the performance of semiconductor devices. In the x-ray topography of longitudinal-cut samples of these crystals, topographs in the reflection (006) show dislocation image contrast associated with the superscrew dislocations lying along the c-axis of the crystal, which is also the direction of the dislocations' Burgers vectors. In the (110) reflection, whose g-vector is perpendicular to the c-axis and the dislocations' Burgers vector, there is also an image of the superscrew dislocation formed, albeit weaker than the corresponding image in the (006) reflection. This dislocation image is thought to represent stress components of the superscrew dislocation in directions perpendicular to the c-axis.In order to investigate the origin of these stress components, steps have been carried out to determine whether the dislocation image is anisotropic in all possible reflections where g={110}. To achieve this we have excised a hexagonal prism-shaped sample from a 6H-SiC wafer, 100μm wide, polished along the six {100} crystallographic faces, such that a single micropipe ran along the axis of the sample. This enabled x-ray topographs to be taken through each of these {100} faces


2014 ◽  
Vol 1693 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fangzhen Wu ◽  
Huanhuan Wang ◽  
Balaji Raghothamachar ◽  
Michael Dudley ◽  
Stephan G. Mueller ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTIn our previous studies [1-3], four kinds of stacking faults in 4H-SiC bulk crystal have been distinguished based on their contrast behavior differences in synchrotron white beam x-ray topography images. These faults are Shockley faults, Frank faults, Shockley plus c/2 Frank faults, and Shockley plus c/4 Frank faults. Our proposed formation mechanisms for these stacking faults involve the overgrowth of the surface outcrop associated with threading screw dislocations (TSDs) or threading mixed dislocations (TMDs) with Burgers vector of c+a by macrosteps and the consequent deflection of TSDs or TMDs onto the basal plane. Previous synchrotron x-ray topography observations were made in offcut basal wafers using transmission geometry. In this paper, further evidence is reported to confirm the proposed stacking fault formation mechanism. Observations are made in axially cut slices with surface plane {11-20}. Several kinds of stacking faults are recognized and their contrast behavior agrees with the four kinds previously reported. Direct observation is obtained of a Shockley plus c/4 Frank stacking fault nucleating from a TMD deflected onto the basal plane. The contrast from stacking faults on the basal plane in the axial slices is enhanced by recording images after rotating the crystal about the active -1010 reflection vector enabling a broader projection of the basal plane.


2012 ◽  
Vol 717-720 ◽  
pp. 347-350 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sha Yan Byrapa ◽  
Fang Zhen Wu ◽  
Huan Huan Wang ◽  
Balaji Raghothamachar ◽  
Gloria Choi ◽  
...  

A review is presented of Synchrotron White Beam X-ray Topography (SWBXT) studies of stacking faults observed in PVT-Grown 4H-SiC crystals. A detailed analysis of various interesting phenomena were performed and one such observation is the deflection of threading dislocations with Burgers vector c/c+a onto the basal plane and associated stacking faults. Based on the model involving macrostep overgrowth of surface outcrops of threading dislocations, SWBXT image contrast studies of these stacking faults on different reflections and comparison with calculated phase shits for postulated fault vectors, has revealed faults to be of basically four types: (a) Frank faults; (b) Shockley faults; (c) Combined Shockley + Frank faults with fault vector s+c/2; (d) Combined Shockley + Frank faults with fault vector s+c/4.


2012 ◽  
Vol 717-720 ◽  
pp. 343-346 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fang Zhen Wu ◽  
Huan Huan Wang ◽  
Sha Yan Byrapa ◽  
Balaji Raghothamachar ◽  
Michael Dudley ◽  
...  

Synchrotron White Beam X-ray Topography (SWBXT) imaging of wafers cut parallel to the growth axis from 4H-SiC boules grown using Physical Vapor Transport has enabled visualization of the evolution of the defect microstructure. Here we present observations of the propagation and post-growth mutual interaction of threading growth dislocations with c-component of Burgers vector. Detailed contrast extinction studies reveal the presence of two types of such dislocations: pure c-axis screw dislocations and those with Burgers Vector n1c+n2a, where n1is equal to 1 and n2is equal to 1 or 2. In addition, observations of dislocation propagation show that some of the threading dislocations with c-component of Burgers adopt a curved, slightly helical morphology which can drive the dislocations from adjacent nucleation sites together enabling them to respond to the inter-dislocation forces and react. Since all of the dislocations exhibiting such helical configurations have significant screw component, and in view of the fact that such dislocations are typically not observed to glide, it is believed that such morphologies result in large part from the interaction of a non-equilibrium concentration of vacancies with the originally approximately straight dislocation cores during post-growth cooling. Such interactions can lead to complete or partial Burgers vector annihilation. Among the reactions observed are: (a) the reaction between opposite-sign threading screw dislocations with Burgers vectors c and –c wherein some segments annihilate leaving others in the form of trails of stranded loops comprising closed dislocation dipoles; (b) the reaction between threading dislocations with Burgers vectors of -c+a and c+a wherein the opposite c-components annihilate leaving behind the two a-components; (c) the similar reaction between threading dislocations with Burgers vectors of -c and c+a leaving behind the a-component.


1999 ◽  
Vol 595 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathleen A. Dunn ◽  
Susan E. Babcock ◽  
Donald S. Stone ◽  
Richard J. Matyi ◽  
Ling Zhang ◽  
...  

AbstractDiffraction-contrast TEM, focused probe electron diffraction, and high-resolution X-ray diffraction were used to characterize the dislocation arrangements in a 16[.proportional]m thick coalesced GaN film grown by MOVPE LEO. As is commonly observed, the threading dislocations that are duplicated from the template above the window bend toward (0001). At the coalescence plane they bend back to lie along [0001] and thread to the surface. In addition, three other sets of dislocations were observed. The first set consists of a wall of parallel dislocations lying in the coalescence plane and nearly parallel to the substrate, with Burgers vector (b) in the (0001) plane. The second set is comprised of rectangular loops with b = 1/3 [11 20] (perpendicular to the coalescence boundary) which originate in the coalescence boundary and extend laterally into the film on the (1 100). The third set of dislocations threads laterally through the film along the [1 100] bar axis with 1/3<11 20>-type Burgers vectors These sets result in a dislocation density of ∼109 cm−2. High resolution X-ray reciprocal space maps indicate wing tilt of ∼0.5°.


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