We investigated the structure of in-grown stacking faults in the 4H–SiC(0001) epilayers. The in-grown stacking faults nucleate near the substrate/epilayer interface and expand the area with increasing epilayer thickness in a triangular shape. From transmission electron microscope observation, the formation of 1c of 8H polytype was confirmed in the in-grown stacking fault area. We also investigated the dependence of in-grown stacking fault density on the epitaxial growth rate, growth temperature, and substrate surface preparation.

This paper surveys extended defects in 4H‐SiC epilayers and reports recent results concerning fast epitaxial growth. Synchrotron X‐ray topography, transmission electron microscopy, Nomarski optical microscopy and defect selective etching analysis are applied to investigate the nucleation and propagation of carrot defects, basal plane Frank‐type defects, polytype inclusions and basal plane dislocations (BPDs) in 4H‐SiC epitaxial growth. In the development of the 4H‐SiC fast epitaxial growth technique, a very high growth rate of up to 250 μm/h is obtained in a newly developed vertical hot‐wall‐type reactor under low system pressure using a H2 + SiH4 + C3H8 system. Good thickness and impurity doping uniformity are also obtained simultaneously over a large area, with the retention of a high growth rate. A 4H‐SiC epilayer virtually free from BPDs is obtained on a 4° off Si‐face substrate. (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

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Frank-type defects on the basal plane in thick 4H–SiC epitaxial layers have been characterized by photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy and a PL imaging microscopy. The PL emission wavelength of the three kinds of Frank-type defects were determined at ∼424, 457, and 488 nm at room temperature, respectively. The high-resolution PL imaging of the defects was obtained, and the PL emission at the Frank partial dislocations was confirmed in the near infrared region (>700 nm). Correspondence between the optical properties and the microscopic structures of the defects was clarified.

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